Tempest of Emotions
by azure orbis
Summary: When close friends of Max are killed, Max herself is captured, and even her brother is turned against her. Things look bleak indeed. If only that were the end of it. Chapter 19 is up!
1. Prologue I True Confession

Title: Tempest of Emotions

Chapter One- Prologue I

Summary: When close friends of Max are killed, Max herself is captured, and even her brother is turned against her. Things look bleak indeed. If only that were the end of it.

Rating: PG, may go up, but until then.

Disclaimer: I really, really, REALLY wished I owned Dark Angel… sniff Too bad… if I did, it would be airing 24/7…ah, wishful thinking…

Author's Note: My very first fanfic, so criticism or whatever would be nice. And really miss DA and hope that everyone out there is still fighting to save it! So if you're still fighting, I'm with you! Send in letters, emails, faxes…whatever you can. So keep on fighting to save Dark Angel!!!! Anyways, on to the story…actually it's more of a vignette, which is one of those inner thought tales…well, hope you enjoy it…

How did he feel about her? He hated her, hated everything she had done to him and yet he loved her; he loved everything about her: her hair, her eyes, her face, her fire, her love for life…everything. Each and every aspect about her was endearing to him. His inner conflict raged within himself; he should probably leave, she seemed more and more irritated with him as time went by. There was not a moment, in her presence, that she wasn't yelling at him or criticizing him for his minor faults. He didn't mean to come between her and her lover boy; he was only trying to save himself. Trying to save himself… it seemed like that was all he ever did now; look out for himself. And what was wrong with that? Everybody does that! No. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his attitude. However, if there was nothing wrong; why did she hate him so much? Was it because he looked like Ben? What was he supposed to look like? They were twins after all. Or was it because he was always a "smart- aleck"? Nah, most people liked it, or at least tolerated it. He couldn't bear to tear himself away from her and yet it hurt too much being near her, always hanging around Logan and hoping for a miracle that probably would never come.

He sighed in disgust, he would never figure out why he irritated her so much. It seemed ironic, he laughed, that the one person that drove his twin insane was the same person who was slowly pushing him toward the edge. Did she know what effect, what power she had over him? Nope, cus she would have stop nagging and start…start what? Being nice? He could imagine all he could and he would never see her being "nice" to him and maybe…someday…learning to like him…maybe even love him? Love…he thought bitterly…what a croc! Had he ever truly loved before? Yes, at one time of his life he did love. Rachel. Her name was Rachel. He had met her on one of his missions, or assassinations as she called them, and he fell deeply and truly in love with Rachel. Why did love have to hurt so much? She died because of him, because of his stupid mission to kill her father. He would never forget her and yet, he moved on. Maybe not, maybe it was as someone said, "Time heals wounds, but the wounds are still there". Well, his wounds were still there when he met Max.

He remembered the first time he laid eyes on her. She was breath-takingly beautiful…no, that didn't even begin to describe her. She was… shunning, something he didn't expect when he was assigned to copulate with her. Her eyes, her eyes were the first thing he saw and in them he saw recognition, fear, rebellion and confusion. She thought he was Ben, his twin and his nightmare. She loved Ben, that much could be said from the joyful recognition in her eyes, that died when he bluntly told her that he was 494. She also feared him, probably because Ben was a psycho who enjoyed killing people and… pulling their teeth. The man was insane and it was all her fault. Yes, it was all her fault. She was the reason Ben went nuts and she was the reason he was sent to Psy- Ops to suffer observation, testing and worse of all, brain-washing. He hated brain-washing, that alone drove him half insane; insane, not knowing what he was programmed to do, to feel, to act. He felt helpless like a puppet, daggling on strings pulled by others, but never him. Life sucked that way and he was glad when she burned Manticore to the ground; he finally had the freedom that he craved for and yet it was a bittersweet freedom. Life out in the open world was confusing and it was never black and white. It was only gray. But in time, he would learn to handle that too. Would he ever learn to handle Max? Yeah, right… she loved her freedom too much to be "handled" by just anyone. Ok…would he at least earn her respect and trust? Perhaps…in time…hopefully, in time, she would learn to love him as he loved her. In time, she would understand that everything he did was because of her. In time, everything would be perfect and the world would no longer fear them…in time.

With these comforting thoughts, Alec gazed into the night sky on top of Space Needle. He slowly arose and climbed down, making his way toward his apartment, hoping to catch a glimpse of Max on the way. She would probably never know what he felt for her and hoped for her to feel for him…but maybe, in time, she would. Only time could tell

A/N- So…did you like it? Yes? No? Tell me your opinions and yes, reviews would be nice…so click on that little button and tell me what you thought.


	2. Prologue II Reflection

Tempest of Emotions Chapter Two  
  
A/N- Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Junior year is a major pain and my heart goes out to all who are suffering like me (And to people suffering a harsh school year in general). There is just not enough time in the day to do homework, watch TV, use the computer and get sleep! I need sleep! Thank goodness for this three day weekend! Oops, I'm rambling and that's not the reason you're reading this. BTW, thank you to the select few who have reviewed! It was very nice and useful in the whole writing process thing- for lack of better word. Oh, and sorry about the whole formatting thing, I didn't read the instructions carefully over the whole uploading process and thus the end result is a really screwed-up looking story! Well, as you might notice the first chapter has been fixed to look better! And do tell me if there's some mistake in the darn story! Ahhh, I'm doing it again. Oy! Just ignore my raving and ranting and scroll down to the actual story (If you haven't already!).  
  
Disclaimer- This is really old and I think no one's paying any attention to this part so keep on scrolling down! And if you really want to see the disclaimer, which I highly doubt, go to chapter one. PS- All other stuff like rating, also go back to chapter one. If there is a change, it will be posted. Carry on!  
  
Over the past two years, my life has gone upside down. At first, I was nonchalant, not a care in the world; with the exception of being discovered that I was different from everyone else. Am I that different? Just because I was made in some lab in the middle of nowhere and was designed for something I have no idea about, doesn't make me some kind of freak. Does it? Just because I have some strands of feline DNA in my genome and can do some extraordinary feats that no other normal human can do, doesn't make me the savior of this doomed world. Does it? Before I met Logan, I was perfectly content. All I had to worry about was me and me alone. All of a sudden, I'm enlisted to save the world from all the evils created by other people. Great, there goes my cover. Instead of lying low, I'm out there kicking other people's butts. Not that I don't enjoy it, but this wasn't my problem. All I wanted to do was to find my family and live happily ever after. Yeah right. Like that was going to happen. The world is never going to accept me or my kind. Maybe they will. Probably in another million years.  
  
Now, I'm helping the infamous Eyes Only on his demented crusade to save the world. You've got to admire him for trying, but what is he trying to save? This world is too messed up for anyone to restore. Maybe not.  
  
Logan, with his ideals of a perfect world, is blinded by his inability to see this broken world and yet, I still love him. Love? That's a bit strong. Ok, I care about him a lot. He means so much to me, that it scares me some times. Am I capable of love? I was never meant to feel or even have emotions; stupid Manticore training. But I truly care about Logan. But with this virus, I feel like we're not meant to be together; not now, not ever. Cindy and Joshua tell me not to give up and that we will be together. If we were meant to be together, why is it so hard? And so painful? In my dreams I watched him die and in reality, it almost happened a couple times. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was the cause of his death. Love sucks. I care about him so much and yet, I have to let him go. Or else, he dies. I have to let go of everyone and everything I care about and it hurts like hell.  
  
I had to let go of Zack. It was so wonderful to see him again, alive. But then he tried to kill Logan and I had him slip out of my life again. It was absolute torture when he finally woke up and didn't recognize me. I miss him so much and wonder constantly if I made the right decision to send him away. It's probably for the best; he finally gets to live the normal life he always wanted.  
  
At least, I still have Joshua for comfort. He is a gentle big brother who offers advice and comfort in my darkest hours. Joshua is truly untouched and unadulterated by the evils of this world. He is probably one of few who actually understand me. However, I feel like I'm losing him too. With his recent brush with love and tragedy, Joshua decided to leave me and my protection. I finally realize that he can take care of himself and all that he needs is a friend for support and comfort. I will always be there for Joshua, whenever he needs a friend or a shoulder to lean on or someone to talk to.  
  
And then, there's Alec. The man who has Ben's face. The face of my long lost brother; whom I killed. It must be karma or fate or whatever you call it. It pains me so much just to look at Alec, hear him talk or laugh or even breathe. He reminds me of Ben so much; of course he would, they are twins. I didn't want to kill Ben! He begged me to and Manticore was closing in. I had no choice, I had to do it. But, I'll never forget the way Ben looked at me before he died. The look in his eyes, his last words, and his last breath will haunt me forever in my dreams. Alec is a big fat jerk, who doesn't know the meaning of friendship, loyalty or love. Basically, everything that makes us humans and not monsters. Alec is pure Manticore, through and through. Ahh, Normal's pretty golden boy, who just happens to be a transgenic. How ironic. I would give a million dollars just to see his face when he finds out what his golden boy really is. Alec is such a pain, always sticking his nose into my business or messing up something important, like the virus cure. I still blame him, even though he paid Logan back. He is such a screw up! Ok, ok. Maybe not all the time. He is interesting to have around, you know, someone who I can talk to (sometimes!) and I guess I can trust him, but on second thought I don't think so!  
  
Maybe I'll get my wish soon; you know the one about exposure. With White chasing me and mine; I don't know how long it will be until we are all exposed, dragged into some lab to be either reinstated as cold-blooded killing machines or dissected to see just how Manticore made such freaks. Or we could be lynched publicly just to quell the frightened masses who yearn for both our blood to be split and our demise.  
  
Curse this infernal endlessness of eternal consciousness! Just once I would like to sleep out of want instead of need! I want to forget my troubles for once! Forget Zack's last moments, Ben's dying words and Tinga's cold body!  
  
I want to forget I want to dream I want to be normal I want to live I want to love I want to be free  
  
Max paced furiously in her small and cramped apartment in the early cold morning. Her endless stream of thought tormenting her nightly; allowing her no refuge within the sweet realm of dreams and their wonderful antidote of obliviousness. Her gift became a heavy curse. Her heart rate sped up as she thought more disturbing and dark notions. Maybe she should leave town before any major incident occurs and before anyone gets hurt. Maybe. Zack always told her that staying in Settle was a big risk, but she was too stubborn to listen. Besides, starting all over again was really hard and she just didn't have the time or the want to do so. The corner of her eye fixed on the rising sun and her breath caught as she noticed the sky's beauty. Inhaling deeply, she calmed down as her heartbeat slowed and she began to prepare to endure another grueling day in this city of hers. Maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed. They could always take a turn for the better at that next bend in the road. Who knows?  
  
A/N- So, was it bad because that ending was a little out of sync and just seems kind of weird. And that little poem or litany, although it's not quite qualified to be called such, just seems kind of out of place. But those just popped up and if you don't like it, please tell me! Btw, I killed the "Signed members only"! I didn't even know about that until someone told me to turn it off! Thank you! And keep up the criticism! I would like to make the story more appealing and in the process hopefully get a better sense of style of creative writing! And I almost forgot to mention that the beginning chapters are a catalysis (Or background) for the rest of the story! Just thought you would like to know! And should I do a Logan POV? I kind of like the idea! 


	3. Prologue III Hanging On

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Three- Prologue III

A/N- This took me a LOT of time to type and probably doesn't flow really well, deal with it! But any suggestions to improve this choppy composition would be nice. BTW, I don't really know the character of Logan, so this might be somewhat inaccurate and needless to say, I do not wish to portray him in a light that is not true to his character, so tell me if I totally screwed up Logan's image. And of course, this was meant to be filled with tons of angst with just a hint of humor mixed in. Enjoy! (BTW- this is a pretty long one. You've been warned.)

_Do not attempt adjust your screen. This is a cable hack. It will last exactly sixty seconds and cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in the city. In recent months, the corrupt police brutally and mercilessly massacred immigrants trying to enter this country so that they could earn enough not to starve. This death squad mowed down sixty people in a blink of an eye. This injustice will not be forgotten and Eyes- Only will track down the people responsible and bring them to justice. This has been a streaming freedom video bulletin via the Eyes-Only informant network. Peace. Out._

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The Eyes Only hacks used to mean the world to me. They were my sole source of contribution to save this doomed world. They were also my way of revealing the insidious behavior of private and rich citizens who thought they could get away with everything. They were wrong. I, Logan Cale, was the one who would shine the light that would illuminate their dark deeds and alert the world to their treachery. I was going to save the world, one day at a time.

It was during one of these routine hacks when a young girl came crashing into my life and my window incidentally. She was Max and she would change my life forever. I'll never forget that day, I had just finished a hack on the infamous and now late Edgar Sonrisa and before I knew it, there was this thief in my house who had just knocked out Peter, my bodyguard. I'll admit that I was frightened and greatly alarmed over anyone who could best Peter, but I kept my calm and aimed a gun at the assailant. To my great shock, the thief was but a young girl, no older then twenty. How could she break into my house and knock out Peter without alerting the whole household? She was obviously a professional cat burglar. And before I knew what was happening, she used Peter as a human shield, charged out my window, dropped hundreds of yards, landed perfectly on her feet and fled. How did she do that? No mere human could survive the fall, let alone land on their feet unharmed. The answer was, of course, that Max was no ordinary human, but that she was the result of many genetic experiments that were meant to create the ultimate warrior with abilities unlike anything I have ever seen in my life. They succeeded.

Our relationship started out professional and slow grew into the great affection, love and admiration that we had had recently. Recently, Max was alive and barging into my apartment without so much as a warning. Recently we celebrated our first anniversary and needless to say we won't be able to celebrate our anniversary together again because on an incredulously stupid idea, she went charging off to finish Manticore once and for all. Problem is that Manticore finished her off first. Now, I understand why she went back, she wanted it all to end and to save Brin, but did she have to die with her past? She died in my arms, I could see her life slipping away from her and I knew that she had no pulse for she was shot in the heart. Max, my beloved Max, my precious, fierce, brilliant and extraordinary Max was gone before my very own eyes.

I couldn't believe that she died. How can someone so strong be killed by a simple metal bullet? She is supposed to be like those superheroes I read about in comic books and this was the cliffhanger section. Our super heroine is in a tight spot; will she prevail or die trying? Well, anyways, the superhero always gets out of that tight spot and triumphs over evil. Well, guess what, Max didn't triumph, she died. How am I supposed to live without her? I love her so much and it took so long for us to finally admit that we had feelings for each other. And for what result? She dies, leaving me here, all alone. I hate her for doing that to me. Didn't she think about our future? The happily ever after Cinderella life we were to spend together? My heart aches every moment of each day, of each hour. When will this horrible nightmare be over? Every single night I have a new dream of Max, healthy and alive, and this 'lovely' dream always ends with her dying, again.

_Flashback _

I was so sure this time it was real. So sure. It was our wedding, just as we imagined it. The wedding was as we planned together; to have an outside wedding in spring with only our closest friends and immediate family. And here it is; a clear sunny spring day and there she was, standing at the end of the isle, in a breath-taking satin white gown and a halo of white apple blossoms crowning her ebony silky curls. I gasp, she's alive. I glance down on myself, I'm in an elegant black tuxedo. Is this what I think it is? I'm getting married? To Max? Can this be real?

My Goss, Max is alive and we about to get married. So, it was just a nightmare; she didn't die and we are going to be together forever. Wow, it's like a dream come true. The music started to swell, snapping me back to attention. The guest watch in admiration as Max starts to sweep down the isle on an extremely scarlet-red carpet. I wonder who made the decision to get a red carpet. My heart misses a beat, or maybe a few, in truth. I am startled when I notice Max's family mingling in the crowd, obviously we found them. I also noticed that Cindy, Sketchy and even Normal were present. Normal? Who invited him? And why is he talking on his cell during my wedding? The man did not know the concept of manners, but who cares? As long as I get to be with Max, nothing else matters, not even that guest who already started eating. How rude!

Concentrate Logan! This is your wedding day; don't screw it up, you might not get the chance to do this again! I am so gullible. By now, this fantasy has me within its grips and I am slowly sinking into this alternate realty. No, Max didn't die, it was just some weird side effect from whatever I ate some nights ago and it must have be so vivid that I believed the dream to be real. Haha, so silly, Logan. Well, I'm going to erase that thought from my head and be joined with Max for all eternity.

I wait impatiently as Max slowly but surely nears me. Why she taking so long? And why does it seem like although she's moving toward me, she looks as if she's slowly backing away. When Max finally reaches her place, next to me, I let out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I thought something would happen that would result in our final and ultimate separation. I guess I was expecting some divine intervention to stop our picturesque wedding. Surely this couldn't happen if we weren't meant to be the next famed "star-crossed lovers", right? Surely if ever there were any people who loved each other, they were Max and Logan and they were meant for each other, right?

Wrong, because at that moment, the wedding was invaded by an army of intruders in black, led by none other than colonel Lydecker. He's back; just my luck. The militia surrounds the panicking crowd and start discharging their weapons. I'm separated from Max as I watch in horror, as I watch my friends and family being slaughtered. It's happening again. I also watch Max run towards me and then falter as a bullet hits her in the back. She falls to the ground, dying. NO! MAX! You can't die! Not today; it's our wedding. I hold her body and start rocking, as I would when she was having one of her terrible seizures. Stroking her hair gently, I know it's too late when I noticed the bright scarlet red river of life flowing from her. The bullet hit her in the heart and there's nothing I can do but hold her in the last moments. Thrown into a state of unbelieving shock, I didn't notice the ring of soldiers surrounding me. I don't notice the simultaneous loading of their arms. I just sat there, crying, holding onto the love of my life. They just had to take her away from me! The one thing I wanted most was the one thing I could not obtain. Even Death had more power than me in destroying my happy life. Max is dead. Therefore, I didn't hear the command being barked. I didn't hear the trigger being pulled. I didn't see the end, but only knew the feeling of being engulfed by the flames of pain and unending anguish. The end came too soon. I didn't see it coming.

_End of flashback_

I awoke screaming, drenched in sweat. I dreamt about her again and I don't know which is worst, we get to our wedding day and then she dies or that we don't even come close to a serious relationship and she dies in my arms.This can't be true. Max can't be dead. I love her too much to let her go. Please, if there's anyone listening, please bring her back and I will ask for nothing more. I need to see her again. I need to hold her again. I need to speak to her. Please, I didn't even get a chance to say good bye. This isn't fair! We were supposed to share one love and one life together and where is this destiny? It's gone! Gone with a single bullet.

Max is gone and yet I still feel that she's somewhere out there, just waiting to come charging back into my life. Well, I'm doing my part and I will track down Manticore for what they have done to Max and so many more. They will pay for their crimes and I will avenge the death of a girl named Max, whom I knew well and loved.

(A few months and a day later)

My life is really funny and kind of ironic, if you think of it this way. I thought Max was alive and guess what, she's alive! Woohoo! I finally start to readjust to life without Max and she just pops in all of a sudden. Don't get me wrong, I'm overjoyed! I really am, but now I don't get to make those who separated us, pay for what they did. I wanted to expose their dark deeds to the world and champion the death of Max and the suffering of her siblings. Now that she's alive, it kind of takes the anger and hate out of me, I'm just really happy to see her again.

With as little pomp and glory possible, Max came charging back into my life, again. One moment, she's dying in my arms and another; she's standing at my doorway, as if nothing happened. Overjoyed, I rushed over and kissed her, only to feel suddenly weak and unexplainably sick. What's happening to me? It's happening again, I can feel it: we're being pulled apart once again.

Max didn't come back alone, she accomplished her mission, though I 'm not quite sure how because last I saw her, she was dead. Anyways, she took down Manticore and let all the transgenics out into the unsuspecting world. With her, Max brought Joshua, a kind and friendly transgenic who resembles a dog, in both appearance and amiable behavior. As a lover of abstract arts, I can relate to Joshua's unique painting style and his wonderful method of expressing his wonderment to this world, one so new to him. Max also brought Alec, a cocky, arrogant, selfish and needless to say, handsome, transgenic. For some reason, undisclosed to me, Max has a really strange relationship with Alec. I don't know what kind of relationship it might be, but I really don't trust Alec, especially after I discovered that Max and I cannot touch. Thanks a lot! Max is alive, Max is here, but can Max and Logan touch? Nope, sorry you dope, there's this virus designed specifically to target your DNA and any touch could be a fatal one. Great, just great.

Anyways, back to this Alec, why won't he go away? Just leave us alone? He's like a puppy dog, you feed him once and he'll always come running back for more. And why is he hanging around Max so much?! She gripes about his all the time and he still can't take a hint; she doesn't want him around. Why? Probably because he's Ben's twin and the fact that he's a royal pain, sometimes. I really don't understand their…friendship, if you could call it that. One moment they're fighting like it's the end of the world and other times, they seem to get along. Well, no matter, I just wish he would stay out of our lives; I don't trust him getting all buddy-buddy with Max. In fact, I think he likes her and maybe Max likes him too and is just pretending so that I won't suspect! Maybe this whole "hate you" thing going on between them is just a façade, hiding their love for one another. Max won't do that to me, would she? She knows I love her and that we will find a cure to this virus, right? Wrong again, Loggie boy, Max is in love with …Alec, of all people. She's in love with Mr. Screwup and the problem is that I have proof: I saw him leave her apartment and they hugged. They what? They hugged each other?! Someone tell me this is some kind of hallucination, please somebody! Anybody! Max and Alec do not hug! They argue and this is…so not right! What's worse is that Max neither denied nor confirmed my suspicions when I asked her. This is some kind of bad dream right? This can't be happening: the girl of my dreams cannot be running away with some idiot like Alec, no matter how handsome he is. Or maybe it is. If it's true, I guess I should just let her go and be happy for them. Be happy that she finally found someone who will and can understand what she's going through. But _I_ could have done that! In fact I'm the perfect guy for Max to be with. Not Alec. No, I refuse to accept this until I have solid proof that Max really is in love with Alec. I will not give up until the very end, I swear it!

I am so engulfed with my thoughts of winning Max back, that I didn't notice a blonde discretely enter my apartment. Her soft voice breaks my train of thought and I revert back to my usual calm and quiet mode.

"Logan? Are you okay? You look like you were in deep thought. Sorry to disturb you but I need you help on something."

"Sure Asha, what do you need?" I ask calmly, smiling as I do so. I'll deal with my problems later, right now Asha requires my immediate and complete attention and she deserves it.

A/N- It was long and it wasn't supposed to be in the beginning, but with the whole dream sequence, which kind of threw the whole story off but still interesting to add, made it long and trying to integrate Max's return made the story really choppy. Find mistakes? Tell me! And do review! Thanks to those who did! BTW, please don't make me cry, but this is NOT M/L!!!! I am definitely an M/A fan, but this will not be one of those hot, heavy and extra fast stories. Going to try to keep it nice and slow and again… not M/L! But I am curious; did this story give off M/L vibes? If it is, I might just steer the story that way because it's really hard to rewrite character development and obviously I'm a novice at this! Review!!!


	4. Showdown

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Five- _Running_

A/N: And here's another chapter. Sorry bout the delay- writer's block and major hw! Enjoy!

The street lamp threw an eerie green flickering light on to the damp and dark ally. Two small shadows emerged and slowly grew to reveal their crouching owners. Their shallow breathing was all that betrayed their presence. They were not safe yet.

"Why now? Why here? Dammit! White, I'll get you for this!"

"Quiet! Do you want us to get caught? We won't be much good if we are. Come on, White will probably find us if we don't vacate the vicinity now!" Alec pleaded with Max, attempting to drag her away from their hiding place.

"Alec, we need to save them. White's probably going to torture them or something even worse. He knows that they're connected with us and he is going to stop at nothing to get us. Nothing." Max argued.

"I know, believe me, I know. But you do realize this could be all a very elaborate scheme to get to us. I mean, we should never underestimate White. We still don't know what he's fully capable of. And what we do know is not to our advantage." He knew he was losing the argument and that his pearls of wisdom and caution were being thrown to the wind. He sighed, she was so reckless and someday, it was going to get her killed. Not while he was watching over her.

"There's White, come on, let's follow them." Max whispered as the two blindfolded prisoners were roughly thrown into a black van by White and his jeering men.

They were preparing to drive off and Max could not afford to let them take any more of her friends. She didn't care if she had to track down White and her friends by herself, but it would probably be easier if she had some help and Alec was the only available aid near her. She should probably call Logan for backup, but he would probably slow them down and even get in their way. Besides, it would too awkward for him to be cooped up in the same room with both her and Alec. Both her strong pride and sense of decorum prevented her from turning to him. This isn't his fight, why get him involved? He won't understand that I can't let anything or anyone stand in my way and just watch White chase down and kill my friends and my family. I refuse to let that happen, even if it means that I have to sacrifice myself for everyone else's well-being. If we don't move now, I'll lose two more of my friends, two more people I care about are about to slip out of my hand just because we are who we are and that is so wrong. We are persecuted for our genes, our capabilities or even our appearances. And I thought the age of discrimination was over and here mankind rears its ugly head just to prove me wrong. Still, I wish Logan was here to help us; it was always good to know he had my back. He would never judge us by our training; why can't more people be like him? More open-minded?

As if reading her mind, her phone started ringing. Damn, who would call her at this time of night? Should she answer it? It was a good thing White and his agents were in the car and out of hearing range. Who knows, it might be important. Grudgingly she turned on the phone, "Hello? Logan? I was just thinking about you..."

"Really. Well I just wanted to inform you on some major military action in the vicinity of Crash. I think you should check it out. White's moving something big."

"What a coincidence. Guess where I just happen to be. Crash and guess who I saw waltzing in and grabbing two transgenics. White. This must be my lucky day. First Normal starts harassing me about me taking too much time on my runs. And what business does he have with to do my runs? Other then the fact that these runs are for his business and that I am an employee, he has no right to be griping over my performance. As long as I get the job he should be happy and content with that. Yeah! He should be giving me a bonus for the mere fact that I don't leave the packets on some abandoned doorstep like _some_ people I know. Anyways, what was I saying? Oh yeah, so I'm at Crash letting off some steam and trying unsuccessfully to drown my sorrows and my whole night is ruined by just the mere act of looking at that hideous face. I mean, just my luck!"

"Max, you're ranting. I deeply sympathize with your spoiled evening; I wish I could make it better. But here's the other reason I'm calling: Don't go after White alone and unprepared. You need back up and supplies." Thoroughly perplexed, but understanding that she had a tough day and the best thing was to let her vent without pause.

"Oop, didn't mean to. Well, as it just happens, I have the perfect backup here with me at this very moment."

"Really? Who is it?" Curiosity growing and a nagging distrust seeped through his mind. His head began to pound furiously, please don't let it be him, please not him. Anyone, anyone else, just not him.

"Alec." Who else was he expecting?

"Oh, I thought it was someone else. Doesn't matter, go home pack and come with Alec, I'll have more info for you then. And promise me, don't go after White; not yet, not now." Suppressing a sigh and trying to sound professional.

"'Kay, see ya in ten" She clicked off her phone and saw Alec looking at her attentively.

"You do know that the van took off while you two lovebirds were talking, right? We just lost our only chance to track them. I thought you wanted to follow them from here."

"Shut up. That was Logan and he told us to go home and pack and to meet him at Foggle Towers. He'll have the information we need there. Now go." She said forcefully, there was absolutely no time to waste on idle chatter.

Stunned by her harsh words but recovering so quickly that she didn't notice the flicker of injury in his eye. "Yeah, I'll go pack and please, only the essentials!"

"What do you take me for? Now go, we've got less than ten minutes."

"More than enough time for me." Flashing his usual cocky smile. More than a mask, it was his salvation in times when he felt very weak and on the edge of betraying his emotions. Not going to happen here. Not today, but he wondered could he keep this charade 24/7 around her? He couldn't say, but he didn't want to find out the consequences if he did drop his façade. He was a soldier first and a soldier last. Nothing else mattered. He watched her blend into the shadows and turned to do the same. Road trip with Max for unknown time, spending a lot of time close together, working together. Hmm, this should be a great opportunity for them get to know each other better; then why did he feel so edgy over the whole ordeal? He still could not believe that White would so ostentatiously capture two trangenics from a bar both he and Max frequented. Was it a trap? Was it coincidence? He felt uneasy on the whole aspect and he would have to be on his guard to prevent White from pulling one over their eyes. He had to protect her, no matter the cost.


	5. Running

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Five- _Running_

A/N: And here's another chapter. Sorry bout the delay- writer's block and major hw! Enjoy!

The street lamp threw an eerie green flickering light on to the damp and dark ally. Two small shadows emerged and slowly grew to reveal their crouching owners. Their shallow breathing was all that betrayed their presence. They were not safe yet.

"Why now? Why here? Dammit! White, I'll get you for this!"

"Quiet! Do you want us to get caught? We won't be much good if we are. Come on, White will probably find us if we don't vacate the vicinity now!" Alec pleaded with Max, attempting to drag her away from their hiding place.

"Alec, we need to save them. White's probably going to torture them or something even worse. He knows that they're connected with us and he is going to stop at nothing to get us. Nothing." Max argued.

"I know, believe me, I know. But you do realize this could be all a very elaborate scheme to get to us. I mean, we should never underestimate White. We still don't know what he's fully capable of. And what we do know is not to our advantage." He knew he was losing the argument and that his pearls of wisdom and caution were being thrown to the wind. He sighed, she was so reckless and someday, it was going to get her killed. Not while he was watching over her.

"There's White, come on, let's follow them." Max whispered as the two blindfolded prisoners were roughly thrown into a black van by White and his jeering men. They were preparing to drive off and Max could not afford to let them take any more of her friends. She didn't care if she had to track down White and her friends by herself, but it would probably be easier if she had some help and Alec was the only available aid near her. She should probably call Logan for backup, but he would probably slow them down and even get in their way. Besides, it would too awkward for him to be cooped up in the same room with both her and Alec. Both her strong pride and sense of decorum prevented her from turning to him. This isn't his fight, why get him involved? He won't understand that I can't let anything or anyone stand in my way and just watch White chase down and kill my friends and my family. I refuse to let that happen, even if it means that I have to sacrifice myself for everyone else's well-being. If we don't move now, I'll lose two more of my friends, two more people I care about are about to slip out of my hand just because we are who we are and that is so wrong. We are persecuted for our genes, our capabilities or even our appearances. And I thought the age of discrimination was over and here mankind rears its ugly head just to prove me wrong. Still, I wish Logan was here to help us; it was always good to know he had my back. He would never judge us by our training; why can't more people be like him? More open-minded?

As if reading her mind, her phone started ringing. Damn, who would call her at this time of night? Should she answer it? It was a good thing White and his agents were in the car and out of hearing range. Who knows, it might be important. Grudgingly she turned on the phone, "Hello? Logan? I was just thinking about you..."

Really. Well I just wanted to inform you on some major military action in the vicinity of Crash. I think you should check it out. White's moving something big. 

"What a coincidence. Guess where I just happen to be. Crash and guess who I saw waltzing in and grabbing two transgenics. White. This must be my lucky day. First Normal starts harassing me about me taking too much time on my runs. And what business does he have with to do my runs? Other then the fact that these runs are for his business and that I am an employee, he has no right to be griping over my performance. As long as I get the job he should be happy and content with that. Yeah! He should be giving me a bonus for the mere fact that I don't leave the packets on some abandoned doorstep like _some_ people I know. Anyways, what was I saying? Oh yeah, so I'm at Crash letting off some steam and trying unsuccessfully to drown my sorrows and my whole night is ruined by just the mere act of looking at that hideous face. I mean, just my luck!"

Max, you're ranting. I deeply sympathize with your spoiled evening; I wish I could make it better. But here's the other reason I'm calling: Don't go after White alone and unprepared. You need back up and supplies. Thoroughly perplexed, but understanding that she had a tough day and the best thing was to let her vent without pause.

"Oop, didn't mean to. Well, as it just happens, I have the perfect backup here with me at this very moment."

Really? Who is it? Curiosity growing and a nagging distrust seeped through his mind. His head began to pound furiously, please don't let it be him, please not him. Anyone, anyone else, just not him.

"Alec." Who else was he expecting?

Oh, I thought it was someone else. Doesn't matter, go home pack and come with Alec, I'll have more info for you then. And promise me, don't go after White; not yet, not now. Suppressing a sigh and trying to sound professional.

"'Kay, see ya in ten" She clicked off her phone and saw Alec looking at her attentively.

"You do know that the van took off while you two lovebirds were talking, right? We just lost our only chance to track them. I thought you wanted to follow them from here."

"Shut up. That was Logan and he told us to go home and pack and to meet him at Foggle Towers. He'll have the information we need there. Now go." She said forcefully, there was absolutely no time to waste on idle chatter.

Stunned by her harsh words but recovering so quickly that she didn't notice the flicker of injury in his eye. "Yeah, I'll go pack and please, only the essentials!"

"What do you take me for? Now go, we've got less than ten minutes."

"More than enough time for me." Flashing his usual cocky smile. More than a mask, it was his salvation in times when he felt very weak and on the edge of betraying his emotions. Not going to happen here. Not today, but he wondered could he keep this charade 24/7 around her? He couldn't say, but he didn't want to find out the consequences if he did drop his façade. He was a soldier first and a soldier last. Nothing else mattered. He watched her blend into the shadows and turned to do the same. Road trip with Max for unknown time, spending a lot of time close together, working together. Hmm, this should be a great opportunity for them get to know each other better; then why did he feel so edgy over the whole ordeal? He still could not believe that White would so ostentatiously capture two trangenics from a bar both he and Max frequented. Was it a trap? Was it coincidence? He felt uneasy on the whole aspect and he would have to be on his guard to prevent White from pulling one over their eyes. He had to protect her, no matter the cost.


	6. Sleeping with Strangers

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Six- _Sleeping With Strangers_

Max checked into the hotel, leaving Alec to lug the luggage in by himself. Flashing a killer smile at the clerk, he personally offered himself to help her hapless friend take the luggage up to their room. Smiling sweetly, Max accepted the offer and led the way, while the two men struggled with the heavy luggage, containing all of Max's "essentials". After giving the clerk a tip and literately pushing him outside, Alec closed the door with a sigh.

'The guy was drooling all over Max like he's never seen a perfectly genetically enhanced female. Well, you can't blame him; she is hot and knows how to strut her stuff. Hey, she was trained to do this. But I just wish she won't do that to every single guy on the road. It's starting to get on my nerves and what is in these suitcases?! What did she do, pack every single thing she owns and brought them along? I thought I told her, only the _essential items_. It's not like we're going on a vacation! This is not some fun road trip. Our mission is to track down White. It's a good thing that Logan got all that information off the hover drone cameras. But could he look more uncomfortable knowing that I was going with Max? I mean, if looks could kill, let's just say, Logan was not very subtle with his obvious distaste for me. Could that encounter had been more awkward with those two ogling each other? The whole "I love you, but I can't touch you" is really getting on my nerves. I mean, move on with your lives; there are other fish in the sea.' Alec thought exasperatedly while rearranging the multiple suitcases. He picked out his own, two small cases filled with spare clothes and a reading book. He looked at the other six gigantic cases and wondered what in the world Max put in them and why were they so heavy? He was so annoyed at Max that he didn't notice her gaping mouth and her unbelieving eyes directed at the single king size bed. When he finally looked in her direction he was puzzled over her expression.

"Max, what's wrong? You okay because you look like you swallowed a bug." Alec questioned, while missing the object which captured her attention and returned to his cases and unpacked what he would need later.

"Alec, look at the bed. There's only one, for both of us." She stammered.

"Huh? Only one? I thought you ordered a room with two beds. Max, are you coming onto me?" He teased.

"In your dreams!" She hit him on the shoulder. "Since we have to share a bed, seeing that there's not even a couch or chair for you to sleep on, let's not make this experience any worse than it needs to be."

"Why would I have to sleep on the couch or chair, if either were here? I need my beauty sleep! You, on the other hand, don't sleep nor do you need to sleep. I do!" Alec whined.

"Well... it's only proper that the gentleman gives up the bed to the lady when there is another place to sleep in."

"Max, you're not a lady and I am most definitely not a gentleman," he grinned and returned to unpacking his clothing.

Max groaned, took one her large suitcases and flung in on the bed. Opening it, she pulled out some clothing and announced she was commandeering the bathroom for at least half an hour. She marched inside and slammed the door loudly, to Alec's annoyance.

'What a bathroom hog' Alec thought, finishing his unpacking and took out his worn book and started to flip to the last page he was on. He was momentarily distracted with the sound of Max loud singing streaming clearly through the bathroom door. He didn't know she sang and it was kind of strange that she wasn't half bad. Shrugging off the thought, he returned to his book.

As promised, the bathroom door opened, accompanied by a cloud of moist steam and Max marching out of the bathroom half an hour later in a bath robe, drying her wet hair.

"Bathroom's yours, if you want it," plopping herself on the other side of the bed.

'Finally,' Alec thought, grabbing his clothes and rushed into the bathroom. He desperately wanted a hot bath. 'She better of not used up all of the hot water!' he hoped after stripping and turning on the water faucet, only to find it ice cold. He started panicking, he really, really needed a hot shower, but he sighed in relief when the water started to warm up after a couple of minutes and turned hot. "Yay!" he smiled entering the shower.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found the room dark. It didn't bother him; with his excellent night vision he found the bed and crawled under the covers.

"Good night Max," he whispered to the silent form near him.

"Night Alec," came the soft muffled reply.

Sighing contently, Alec pulled up the blankets and fell into a deep and peaceful slumber full of wonderful dreams of a perfect world without any cares or sorrows.

As the first rays of morning crept slowly into the room through the dirt encrusted windows, in bad need of a wash, Alec unconsciously smiled and slightly shifted in his restful sleep. It was a good dream and even though it was beginning to fade, it left this wonderful and comforting feeling in the happy dreamer. With luck, he would be able to have another dream without the other occupant of the bed waking him up. His mind began to drift from the dingy room bathed in soft white light when his delicate ears picked up nearby murmuring. It seemed that he heard his name several times but then again he could be dreaming all of this. However, a loud earsplitting scream was sufficient to wake him and everyone within earshot. Groaning, Alec arose, rubbing his ears and the sleep out his eyes. His glance fell upon a disheveled bed caused by Max's tossing and turning. She must be having a heck of a nasty dream and I guess I must be in it. I wonder what's going on inside her head.

He shook her gently, "Max? Wake up Max. Come on, wake up. It's me, Alec. Max? Please wake up" he whispered. Why wasn't she waking up? Just as he started to panic, she bolted up right with a pained gasp. For many moments, the only sound was her labored breathing struggling to control the strained sob threatening to escape her throat. And his searching eyes, they scanned her face but found nothing to explain her pain. A small tear trickled unnoticed down her face and dripped on his hand reassuringly holding her palms together. Finally, a small whisper escaped into the silent atmosphere, "Zack.".

'So that was what caused such a nightmare.' Floods of memories returned to remind him of the night she told him about her big brother, Zack, whom she credited with saving her life more times than she could count. It was the same brother Zack who later shot himself to give his heart to save her life. It was Zack whom she later found to be alive, but not at all well. It was Zack she had to let go off, when Manticore's training come back to haunt her and Logan. It was Zack whom she had to make a terrible decision whether to allow him back in her life where she sorely missed him and need his brotherly guidance or lose the man she loved. She decided in favor of Logan's life and said farewell to him.

He was deep in thought and pondered what it must feel like to have kinsmen. 'What does it feel like to have family? What was it like to have friends who were closer than just friends, someone whom you could tell all your secrets and hopes to? Was there some sort of special bond between such people? I wonder if having family is such a precious thing that one would give up one's life to protect those one loves. Love, what a quaint idea. Voluntarily blinding yourself to the flaws of the object of your affection and putting both yourself and the beloved in danger. What a crazy concept.' He scoffed and was stunned at the scene before him. Max, oh the mighty, strong and iron willed Max, hunched over and weeping. Back home, They would have thrown her into solitary confinement for such a sign of weakness. Alec further stunned himself as he felt his own eyes well up with an unstoppable trickle of tears. Such an uncustomary sign of weakness, and yet, he did not bother to wipe his face. He was freed, he was human again. Reluctantly he encircled his arms around her and naturally, started to rock back and forth while patting her back. Her sobs subsided after a time and still clinging to him, they sank into sweet oblivion, comforted by their dreams of a better but impossible future.


	7. Closing In

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Seven- _Closing In_

"You know, this is starting to piss me off," Max grumbled from the back seat.

"I know, I know. How can anyone move so fast? How did they disappear like that? It was something out of a magic show or something," Concentrating on the road and scanning it for any sign of their favorite agent.

"We were hot on their trail! I mean, less than 100 yards and after one night they vanish? Logan didn't even know until we phoned him. How is that possible? He was watching that monitor of his 24/7, with help of course. They could be anywhere now." Asha was probably all over him by now, the mere thought of the blonde crawling all over Logan drove her to see red, bright bloody red.

* * *

Silence relapsed meanwhile as each individual pondered on the perplexing disappearance of White. They had been tracking him for nearly a month and yet, somehow, he gave them the slip. His entire caravan of black trucks and highly conspicuous band of suit-clad agents were completely gone without as much as a footprint. The three puzzled minds could not decide what to do and an incredibly idiotic plan was suggested that the two drive aimlessly in their stolen vehicle and maybe they would get lucky and stumble upon White. Obviously, the person who suggested the plan thought it was the only viable option and was border-lining genius, considering the circumstances. The other two grudgingly agreed, although both voiced that they thought the plan was nothing but a joy ride, but on the off chance they could find White, the pair set out.

"Stand at ease, soldier," White barked a direct order and it was immediately obeyed by the only other person in the room who snapped into attention while his sneering superior walked into the room, like he had always done his whole life. The perfect model soldier until he decided to go AWOL. "452 and 494 have been tracking their comrades for several months and have had no success yet. Needless to say, if they find them, they will not let go of the opportunity to save them, especially if they see that their comrades in danger. We are counting on that fact and also the knowledge that these two have been baited long enough and now, they will indeed attempt a rescue mission regardless of the dangers of the situation. Your orders, soldier, is to capture 452 when you have visual confirmation of her. We will take care of 494. Is that understood?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good, you are dismissed. Report to the training grounds at 0600 hours."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The good soldier held his stance, even after his superior walked out. He had a big mission and still his wandering mind returned to ponder why his recent memories were so sharp; crystal-clear as if he memorized each and every second and burned them into his mind. And yet, he had disturbing dreams of him living in the outside world, a world he had only glimpses of and imagined about. He also dreamed of a different life, living among ordinary humans. What caused these horrible images? He stared outside the only window in his cell, barred so that he would not escape. Escape from what? How could they think that he would run away from the only thing he knew, from his only life.

The cold moonlight filtered in and washed his face with its rays, soften his hard features. Such strange nightmares, so real, they disturbed him. Dismissing such useless thoughts, he began to practice his hand-to-hand combat techniques. Each and every stance was perfect, drilled into his head, becoming second nature. Imaginary foes rose and fell with his increasing tempo. He must fight to redeem himself. He must kill; he must kill to rid his shame. He must be the perfect soldier, unflinching, hard and emotionless as he had been trained his whole life. Hesitating, he wondered what he had done to heap shame upon his name. He could remember nothing to indicate his isolation from his unit, from his siblings. He resumed his practice, vowing that he would regain his lofty status as CO again, he would obey each and every order perfectly and maybe one day he would lead his unit once more.

* * *

'Finally, she's asleep. I thought she was going to nag about White all day long. But how did they get away and so cleanly without a trace? Maybe they knew they were being followed. I told Max that inn was too close and having agents crawling all over the place, who had our faces plastered in their minds, did not help.'

His phone rang and Max woke up immediately to pick it up. Alec groaned inwardly, 'Great, I can't even get five minutes of silence to myself.'

"Hello?" Anxiously waiting for news.

"Hey Max, how's everyone?"

"We're fine. Did you get any news?" Heart beating faster with hope. Please let there be some clue!

"Good news, an informant of mine said she spotted a group of highly suspicious people who fit the description of White and his associates. They were spotted 10 miles due north east from your position."

"That's good news indeed. Thanks for coming through for us, Logan." She added as an afterthought. A feeble attempt to ignore the wall that had arose between them and the discovery that conversation was at best, uneasy, between them.

"No problem. I'll update you when I get more news. Bye Tenaciously clinging onto that dimming dream and wondering how long either was going to keep up the appearance of trying to make their precarious relationship work."

She sighed, they were getting closer and this time, they would not let their friends slip away again. They must save them as soon as possible. As they sped off to meet with White, each contemplated the outcome of their conflict.

A/N- Sorry I've been MIA for so long, but finals week is rearing its ugly head again and I am totally swamped w/ final products! One more week to go! So review, review, review!


	8. Ole Bill Parson

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Eight- _Old Bill Parson_

The setting sun shone upon old Bill Parson, rocking in his old chair. He was a man care-worn and wind-tossed, one of the few eccentrics who stayed in this dry forsaken land. Over the years, Bill watched his neighbors come and go and still he remained. This land was never the same after the Pulse, much like after the Dust Bowl Era of a most forgotten past, but still Bill stayed. He had seen better times in the big cities up north and used parts of his brain that were now rarely used or even thought about. By some secret, Parson was the indomitable one who seemed able to weather the harsh winter storms and the searing summer heat where water was a treasure far more tantalizing than gold. Bill had a secret strength in him, an aged wiry man, who was able to outlast his robust and hearty young neighbors. Most were lucky to last a whole year while Bill somehow continued to survive for an unknown time. Bill was a mysterious legend, even to those who knew him best, he came to this town old and although countless years had passed, he had not aged a day. Bill lived on the outskirts of the town, an observant loner at heart, he watched his neighbors with a keener eye than they suspected. It was thus that old Bill Parson was the first to note a dark blue dust encrusted vehicle driven by a pair of fair faces, ones that brought back memories of old Bill being surrounded by many of these fair faces. Ones that had the same intent look upon them as these two did, ones who had their innocence torn away and although sad, not quite comprehending the complete inhumanity and monstrosity inflicted upon their young faces. Bill grunted, his past was catching up to him. It was time to move again.

A/N- I know, this is an odd chapter, but trust me, this guy is here for a reason...not sure at the moment what, but he does have his uses, or will...


	9. Preparing for war

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Nine- _Preparing for War_

The sun stretched her golden rays, illuminating the sandy barren land, dotted with scattered rusty homes. A dry westerly wind blew across the deserted landscape, stirring up bits of life forms in the shapes of lizards skittering along the sand. The world slept soundly, not knowing the bloodshed that would soon burst forth, shedding pain and anguish. The two had entered the ghost town as discreetly as their training taught them. They had ditched their car at the outskirts of the town and snuck into a nearly-abandoned building. They were not discreet enough; already many sets of unfriendly eyes were upon the unsuspecting pair. The same thought ran simultaneously through their minds; they must prepare themselves for a war where their friends were the high stakes they were gambling for. There would be no second chance to send a rescue team; although the situation was sure to be dangerous, Max and Alec were about to cross their Rubicon. There would be no turning back from what lies ahead.

The small wooden building was dusty and threadbare. It seemed empty at first and the pair settled in for a night of restless sleep. The building's floor was covered with sawdust and was not nearly as insulated as it should be. Sunlight cracked through the wooden walls, shedding light on the drab rooms. Alec inspected the place with distaste, who knew what has been or was living in this house. It gave him the creeps.

"Ugh, this place is so dusty. It's been eaten alive by termites and a million spiders," Alec griped as he continued his assessment of the small weather-beaten structure.

"At least we have a roof over our heads," Ignoring the other's dislike of the building and started sorting through their bags. She took out some canned food and blankets while she rummaged through their supplies.

"So, what did you hear from Logan?" Attempting to break up the monotonous silence.

"His little secret informant told him that she spotted agents near the center of the town in an old cannery warehouse, it's about two miles from here." She said quietly, knowing that he would hear it. She didn't know why but she had grown skittish about discussing him or even hearing his name. 'Logan, what he thinking at the moment? What was he doing? Probably tracking us via high definition satellite.' She sighed, 'What's the use, why bother with this charade. Logan and I are finished. I just wish it didn't have to end this way.'

"Uh, I'm so hungry I'm ready to faint. Max, can I get something to eat? The last meal I had, was at that dinner on the highway." He rubbed his stomach as it growled yet again.

His comment forced through her thoughts, she shook her head slightly and resumed her actions. "Well, go cook," Max suggested, ignoring his stomach, and started pouring over sheets filled with information with her entire mind. 'Concentrate Max!' she shouted inside herself. She glanced at Alec, thinking 'He looks so pitiful and completely comical. I'm glad he's here. Max? What are you doing Max? Concentrate on the task at hand Max! Concentrate damn you!'

"Me? Cook? What about you?" His eyebrows rose alarmingly high. 'Cook? I hate cooking. Ask me to do anything other than cook!'

"I'll be strategizing our mission," Scribbling furiously.

"What's there to strategize?" Alec asked as he leaned on a creaky door frame. He observe her as she was overly focusing on the blueprints that Logan managed to send. 'What is in her mind?'

"What? You wanna just burst in with guns ablaze?" Max asked with sarcasm.

"Sure, why not?"

"I don't do guns."

"Fine. Max, I'm not much of a cook." Alec replied with a look of grimace upon his face on the impending doom of the show of his poor culinary arts.

"I figured so much. Can you make sandwiches?" Finally cracking a small grin at his obvious discomfort and lofting a loaf of bread from the black duffle bag on her left.

"Yes, I can. But you're not gonna like it. " Shaking his head in doubt.

"I'm sure I'll survive it." She replied with mock seriousness. 'How bad a cook can he be? He's been out in the world for a while now. He must know how to make a decent meal.'

It was a horrendous dinner made up of barely edible sandwiches and a lot of laughter over Alec's botched attempts at making dinner with his confusion with respect to the salt and the sugar. The end result was a mismatch of overly sweet turkey sandwiches and a bitterly salty salad. When the dishes were finally clean, Alec handed Max a cup of tea, something he knew how to make well and the two sat in silence on the porch sipping their beverages. The night was cold and silent and the neighborhood was silent too. It seemed almost too quiet.

"You ever wonder what it feels like to live another person's life? A normal one?" Alec questioned, breaking the silence.

"Always. " After a pause she continued in a different tone, "Now, enough with the idle chatter. We gotta sleep. Tomorrow we set out at 2100 hours. Let's get to bed." She finished her tea and climbed into her makeshift bed. Alec followed suit and climbed into his own, two feet away from hers on the left. Max sat up and started toward the small lamp illuminating the room.

"Max, keep the light on. Please?"

"What? Scared of the dark?" She asked, sporting a broad grin.

"No," he said defensively "Just leave it on. This place puts me on edge."

"Fine," She shrugged and dove in under her covers.

"Night."

"Night."

A few hours later, Max was still tossing and turning. Alec groaned in frustration, he didn't get a wink of sleep. It was all going to end right now.

"Max, some of us actually need to sleep. So if you don't mind I would like to catch some Z's now," Alec whispered drowsily as he turned his head to look at her.

"So, what's stopping you?" Merely trying to annoy him.

"Your loud nocturnal activity of humming, whistling, endless talking, fidgeting and shuffling on your bed keeps me up. Is it too much to ask for absolute silence?"

"Sorry, I can't sleep" Turning on her side to stare at him.

"Try to."

"Talk to me Alec."

"About what?"

"Anything that pops in your mind. Just talk to me"

He groaned and said, "You know, I'm kinda glad we got to go on this trip."

"You mean you're glad that our friends are being held hostage by a ruthless agent involved with some freaky 2000 year old breeding cult, which is bent on destroying our kind. Oh and they have a special grudge against me. Yeah, sounds like fun."

"You know that's not what I meant. What I wanted to say was that I like getting the chance to leave Seattle and Normal's prying eyes," He shivered at the memories.

"Yeah, Seattle is so terrible that you didn't even mind having me as company."

"You're not so bad Maxie. You're not a tough chick 24/7, even when you try. A couple weeks on the road and look how nicely you've loosened up. I mean you haven't slung an insult at me in twelve hours! You're getting soft Max. How bout, when this is all over, we go to Crash and get drunk? Not that it's that easy to get a transgenic drunk in the first place. Now, I don't know about you, but I miss my poison. So, what do you say Max?" He paused for a reply; he heard none. "Max? That is so not fair" Soft breathing was the only sound. She was finally asleep. Alec arose and crept up to the prone figure. She looked so peaceful and even happy. He pushed an errant strand of her ebony tresses from her brow and gently touched her cheek. "Sleep tight, Maxie" he whispered as he softly departed the room, shut the door and footsteps grew faint. He didn't notice the two large hazel orbs follow his departure. Max slept soundly, one of the few times in her life.

A/N- Thank you for the reviews, keep the criticism coming and enjoy the story, although the plot is getting strange, for lack of better word.


	10. Festivities

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Ten- _Festivities_

"Raid much?" Max chuckled as she snuck up on Alec the pig who took to raiding their food supplies.

"Urr, Rax. Rwha rar ru roin rup ro rate? (Uhh, Max, what are you doing up so late?)" Alec stammered, attempting to speak coherently but failing miserable with his mouth stuffed with food.

"I could ask the same of you. I was awoken by the sounds of someone's pig-out-fest and I didn't see you in your bed. So I naturally concluded someone was eating you or something of that nature. Looks like I was right." She smiled brightly.

Alec cleared his throat, "Max, I was just about to invite you to some midnight snacks. I was kind of hungry and I guess I kind of got carried away." He laughed sheepishly at the mess he created.

"Gee Alec, that's so nice of you. You know what? I think I will join you." She sat down and joined the small fest.

* * *

In a darken room, liken to those of the P.I. offices found in old movies, there sat a man with a hat covering his face. Hunched over, he sat with his face in his hands, rocking back and forth in impatience. The perfect model for a stress-related heart attack. He was waiting for an important call, a very important call. The ceiling fan's shadow whipped round and round, although it provided no cooling on this sultry night. His phone rang and he hastened to pick it up. A cool voice answered.

"Yes?"

"Sir, 452 and 494 have been sighted in the vicinity."

"Do we have visual confirmation of this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, contact me when they move out."

"Will do sir."

* * *

"OK, based on the blueprints that Logan was able to send over, I have deduced that the safest and quickest method we should use for this mission is by air. Utilizing ropes, we should be able to access the roof and hopefully it will be a quick in and out job. We avoid alerting the guards, rescue X6-299 and X7-685. Of course, should one of us reveal our position, we must use all means to extract the hostages and ourselves out safely. We will set out at 2100 hours, ETA 15 minutes. If we happen to get lost, Logan will be watching and guiding us via satellite. Questions, comments, observations or lamentations?"

"What if the hostages are drugged and rendered immobilized? What if we're caught?"

"We won't get caught and I said all means. I guess we'll have to carry them and avoid detection."

"You're winging it, aren't you?" He smirked

"I'm going to tell Logan the plan. Save the comments till later."

"Logan, you got all the details?"

"Yep, by way of roof, using ropes, quick in and out. Sounds perfect and Max--"

"I know, be careful." Cutting him off.

"I'll be watching your back."

"Thanks Logan. Wish us luck."

"Luck."

* * *

White was pleased that they had located the transgenics, the only problem was that his contact had not yet informed him of their plans. He paced back and forth in the empty room; everything had to go perfectly if he was to ensure the capture of 452. She had to die, immediately. She was a threat to everything the Conclave had been working for and she didn't even know it. She had to be destroyed at all costs. Ames was going to enjoy torturing her, nice and slow. A wicked smile spread on his face and he started to cackle wildly with the anticipated ambush. She's not going to know what hit her and by the time she does it will be all over. His hysterical and malevolent laughter was rudely cut off by his phone's obnoxious ringing. It had better be good news.

"Mr. White?"

"Good to hear you."

"I've got the details on the plan."

"Good, what are our favorite X5s planning?"

"Very simple sir, they plan to infiltrate the perimeter through the roof using ropes."

"Very good, you've proven yourself to be a useful ally"

"Oh and Mr. White, remember our deal."

"I'm a man of my word. After we get 452, your nemesis will be quickly and quietly disposed of. We'll say he had an unfortunate accident. And after we've ran the desired tests and gotten the results, we'll free 452."

"I'll contact you if there are any changes."

White grinned maliciously, 'What a fool. Does he really believe we'll just let go of 452 after she's captured? After so many failed attempts? But then it's all thanks to the miracle of reasoning and a little thing call brainwashing. What a marvelous little invention!'

* * *

Max turned off her phone and sighed, 'So much to do so little time. Save friends, defeat White and return to Seattle before Normal decided to fire me, even though Alec thought up a plausible, not entirely credible, excuse for us both. We're so close, we can't back down this time.' She heard Alec's distant murmuring. He quickly stopped talking when Max entered the room and put his cell away. "Who was that?" She inquired, not particularly interested.

"A friend."

"Who?"

"Normal, just wanted to let him know we're alive and that we've been delayed by unforeseen circumstances but that we are on our way and will be back in Seattle ASAP. He was overjoyed to hear my voice, but he warned me that you were on the edge of being fired."

"Thank you Normal! Well, we've got a few hours left, so let's go over the plan a few more times just to make sure."

"Yeah." He leaned over the blueprints and Max started pointing out their outline and their destination. The two spent the remaining time fine-tuning their plan as the sun started its downward descent. A cool breeze drifted into the humid atmosphere; change was stirring.

A/N- Plot's starting to pick up and I apologize for the delay, but writer's block is kicking in and the upcoming fight scene is a problem. So review! And if you recognize a certain very famous quote in this story…maybe I know you! Well, I'm sure the person who uses this quote won't mind me if I use it. Just in case, my acknowledgements to that person for that quote! Oh and before I forget, I want thank all the people who reviewed! Your criticism and encouragements were helpful and as always, keep them coming! :)


	11. Captured, at last

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Eleven- _Captured, At Last_

A/N- Senior year is upon me and so are senior pictures- my very own hell-on-wheels. The photo company and my school have created a monopoly and are completely ripping us off. Curse those idiots! And any myths you've heard about senior year are probably just that, myths. There is no senior privilege, just being pushed around by rude students. Also, I find I'm sleeping less than I was in junior year!!! Appling to college is really starting to get to me! Ugh, sorries about the delay, but I finally updated!

* * *

­

(Jam Pony…)

"Has anyone of you reprobates had contact with Alec recently? How bout miss tardiness? Anyone?" Normal broke up the normal lethargic atmosphere with his incessant inquiring after his golden boy. Messengers came in and stopped and lounged around the TV, ignoring the constant shouts from the front desk as usual. Normal sighed in disgust after his inquires were not returned. 'Where is my Alec? I'm starting to miss him.' Normal pouted as he stared at yet another photo of Alec he took from the surveillance camera. 'He looks so perfect in this picture. Too bad it's in black and white. I can even remember that shirt he wore that day. It was beautiful. My own Greek god.' He smiled and sighed happily. Suddenly he frowned as he looked at another picture. 'Uhh! What is Max doing in my personal photos? And she's covering up Alec's face. How dare she. I'll have to have a talk with her when she decides to show up again.' He decided as he straightened his photos and placed them securely into his safe.

OC reclined on an old comfortable blue chair where she casually talked to Sketchy. This heat was starting to get to her. Yes, even the ever reliable Original Cindy was bothered at the sudden heat wave that had struck Seattle. The sticky atmosphere showed no signs of leaving. 'Please let there be some rain soon,' rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. She glanced at the clock, time to go home. "Hey, Sketch, let's go. It's time to leave." Sketchy broke off his staring contest with another employee and started to follow her out the entrance.

"What do you people think you're doing? I didn't say you could leave yet!" Normal started screaming.

Original paid no heed to him. When, if ever, did anyone pay attention to that sad, sad fool?

"If you hear from that reprobate roommate of yours, you can tell her she's fired if she doesn't come back in one week!" Normal shouted from within Jam Pony.

'I wonder what Max is doing anyways' Cindy pondered as she slowly blended into the sea of people, 'I just hope she and Alec didn't kill each other yet.'

* * *

Two bodies hung suspended on the dim ceiling, held by two red ropes. Struggle as they might, the two were unable to escape their bonds. Without warning, four shots rang out; the two fell down, their wounds staining with dark red blood. Their binds were cut by two well-aimed shots.

"Al!" Max cried as she blurred from her hiding place and caught the free-falling body of her friend. Her small face was gaunt and bruised, suggesting torture while she was captured. Blood poured out of the small dark opening near her right lung. The end was near.

Slowly Al opened her eyes, "Hey Maxie," she attempted to smile and started to cough violently. Once they subsided, "Don't cry; you and 494 couldn't do anything. Is it that bad?" gesturing to her wound. Her gaze shifted to Alec, who was bending over the now-cold body of the X7. "Is Ernie okay?" Seeing Alec shake his head, she returned her gaze to Max, "I'm sorry we failed you; we couldn't escape. We tried to, but they caught us each time."

"It's okay, try not to speak." Trying to smile through her streaming tears.

Al coughed again, this time with the blood which filled her lungs and started choking her, taking Max's hand, "Get them Max, get them," her voice slowly dying, "for us".

"I promise." Max got up to her feet and saw the barrel of the gun that shot Al and Ernie pointing at her. She looked past the barrel to see the shooter. She frowned as she stared confused into the cold eyes of her brother.

"Zack! It's me, Max! You have to remember me! I'm your sister Max!"

He stood there, silent and unresponsive. A hint of confusion crept into his eyes as he stared at her. She did seem familiar, as a phantom of a fleeting dream is familiar to the drowsy dreamer. His face grew hard again as he recognized her as only another faceless enemy. She was the one they called 452, yet another rogue agent that had to be punished and soon before she jeopardized the team and their mission. She must be neutralized.

Nearby, Alec fought hard, unfairly outnumbered by White and his familiars. Bleeding badly, there seemed to be no possible victory or escape in sight. He took another punch to the head. His eyes blurred for a moment before refocusing on White's sneering face bending over him.

"That the best you can do with all you selective breeding?" Alec taunted, although his sarcasm was hindered by his windpipe being slowly closed.

"You haven't even begun to see the full potential of our powers, 494. This might not be the best time to anger me." White smiled as his iron fist continued to close even tighter on Alec's throat. He struggled and tried to knock White's grip off, but with the surrounding familiars held and dragged him to the floor, he was helpless.

"You're 452. My orders are to capture you." Zack finally responded, never taking his eyes off her.

"They brain-washed you, didn't they. You have to believe me, White is not your friend. He's trying to kill transgenics and you're helping him!" Max screamed at him while cautiously circling him.

"Agent Whites is in charge and my orders are to capture you." He replied monotone as he watched her circle him.

"I won't fight you, not you Zack." She said softly with a hint of sadness in her voice. She stopped in her tracks and dropped her hands.

"My name is 599 and I have no such orders not to attack." Suddenly he blurred behind her and hit her hard, squarely on the back of her head. She fell in a dead faint. Alec watched Max fall, 'Why didn't she attack him?' his own vision darkened as the oxygen flow to his brain dropped. He too fainted and dropped to the floor.

White released Alec's windpipe and bending over, he checked his pulse, 'Good, it's still beating.' He arose and looked around the room, two trangenics dead and two more unconscious; perfect. "Bag the dead bodies and have them sent to the morgue. The forensics guys will have a field day dissecting them. Oh and tell them to take a tissue sample before they destroy the evidence. Tie up 452 and 494 and put them in the van. Be careful, we don't want to bruise them anymore or else we won't be able to use them. Now, load up the trucks and let's get to the lab." He ordered the surrounding people and walked stiffly to the driver's seat. The bodies were loaded, the live ones bounded. 599 sat next to him as he drove the van out on to the deserted road. It would be a long time before they reached the lab; he could hardly wait.


	12. In the Middle of Nowhere

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Twelve- _In the Middle of Nowhere_

* * *

They were not ordinary agents, they were not ordinary humans. Max discovered this too late. There was no escape and from her previous encounters, she knew it was a losing fight. She glanced over to Alec only to discover him with a grim look on his face also. Both knew that they had entered a death trap and that the chances of escaping were none. White had trapped them and there was no escape in sight.

"I finally have you 452." White sneered at her prone form lying where she was knocked out. 'It will be a delight to make her pay for invading my life and stealing my son.' Also to crush the only remaining threat to his kind would only add to his enjoyment. A small wicked smile spread over his face until he was grinning ear to ear. He watched his agents load the four into the vans. He clambered and slammed the door shut; it was going to be a long ride.

* * *

The warehouse, the capture, all of it was a trap. A trap all too readily sprung by White. She shouldn't have underestimated him this time. She should have seen it coming. If only there was some clue or White tripped up, giving them a chance to escape. But no, he waited far too long to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. White was going to have a field day torturing her or what not. And what was White going to do with Alec? That might have been the last time she would see him alive. No, shaking her head, there was always a chance he got away and would return with help to save her. Unlikely as that hope is, she clung to it like a drowning rat to a floating log.

She woke up with a splitting headache where she was hit multiple times and sitting up stiffly she looked at her surroundings. They stuffed her, clothed in a hospital gown, into a small white padded room with a two-way mirror so that they could observe her, see just how much pain she could endure before they decided to slice her open and see the rogue Sandman's handiwork. Her time was running out, she was a threat, soon to be eliminated.

She took a quick assessment of the room; it empty except for speakers in the corners, four cameras taping her every move, a mirror for observation and a door, without a handle. 'Just like home,' she thought grimly. She wondered how thick the mirror was; maybe she could break her way out and escape. No, White was not going to let her escape so easily. He's not that stupid or perhaps that exactly what he wanted her to do- jump out the mirror and fall into some unfathomable terror. No, the mirror will stay an option, but until further analysis, she could not be sure it was not a trap.

She sat hard on the cold bare linoleum floor, her hands running through her hair desperately trying not to cry, not to weep. Two streams flowed down her pale face; she failed them, Al and Ernie. She held Alena's body as she slowly choked to death on her own blood. Ernie was dead by the time he hit the floor. She should not have been so reckless in the mission, it was because of her recklessness and her burning desire to save her friends that got them both killed. Zack was right about her afterwards.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault." She repeated softly, stifling her quiet sobs. She wiped her remaining tears and stiffened herself. She was acutely aware of the cameras trained on her were zooming in on her as she listened to the soft whirling of the machinery.

"That is correct, 452. You killed your friends, both of them." A loud voice boomed over the twin speakers in her room. White, she recognized his hateful voice, marched into her room as the door opened wide enough for her to see the many guards in the hallway; too many for her to handle in her weakened state.

"Hello 452," White greeted her softly, "I know what you're thinking and yes there are too many for you to kill, even if you somehow get pass me. And yes, that was your brother you saw. Short work he made of you. What, too soft to hurt your own scum? Well, he's proved himself useful, but I can't allow him to live. No matter, he'll be dead soon and you with him. Oh and don't count on 494 getting you out of here. He's in our custody too. The odds are against you, what are you going to do? Cry? Oh, go ahead, don't mind me. I enjoy watching scum like you break down before we even start. It makes the process so much easier on me. And far more entertaining I might add." He seized her by her collar roughly and brought his face nauseatingly close, "You want to kill me? I'm all yours. But, let's avoid a struggle today. I need you alive, at least for now."

The defiance in her eyes died, "What do you want." She asked with a tired drawn face.

"Want? Are you really that ignorant? I want you dead, I want my son back and I want all you and your 'genetically empowered breed' exterminated. Now, but since that's happening as we speak, I'll leave that for later discussions." He dropped her like a pile of rags and started pacing around the floor. "But I do need to scrape some of your DNA, have it analyzed, do the same with 494 and 599 and then exterminate you three. Discreetly, of course. But before I kill you three, I get to have some fun. Are you fond of brainwashing and torturing? We use only the best, and yes, it is the same as those programs used by Manticore. We even have some Manticore technicians! Just like old times."

Max could only glare coldly at him. The snide, sneering murderer. She watched helplessly as the room was flooded by lab technicians and medical orderlies as they surrounded and held her. She struggled to break free, but her strength suddenly sapped as her mind clouded and faded into darkness. White towered over her limp body, holding an empty syringe.

* * *

(In a nearby room…)

A splash of cold water rudely awoke him. His whole body ached, especially his throat. He rubbed it gingerly and shook his head to clear his foggy mind. He immediately regretted it as a stabbing headache set it. 'What's wrong with me? They must have drugged me, or else I wouldn't feel like this. Where's Max?' A swift kick to his ribs reminded him of the other person in the room.

"You're finally awake. Good, we can begin immediately." An emotionless female voice greeted him. Alec looked up to see a dour thin woman in a white lab coat looking at him with obvious contempt. His gaze wandered to the slightly open door as he calculated his chances of a successful escape.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you. There are plenty of guards out there to handle you should I need any assistance. Make no mistake; I'm not one of your ordinary run of the mill human. Heck, I'm not even sure I could be classified as human." She turned her back to him to call in guards, now was the time to run. His form blurred as he staggered toward the door only to be knocked unconscious by the woman's incredibly strong arm. He sank into a heap at her feet.

"Told you not to do that," She sighed as she bent to examine his now slightly bruised cheek, "And you made me bruise you too. Such a handsome face. Too bad." She dragged him to his feet and handed him to the guards. The small group followed the woman as she led them down a corridor and into a small dark room. She flicked the light switch on. Glaring fluorescent lights and a sterile smell flooded the room.

"Set the subject into the chair and make sure the restraints are tight. We don't want last time to happen again." The woman started the equipment and initiated the program. She turned around, "Good, that will be all. Please wait outside, until I need further assistance and please tell White that I have started on subject 494."

"Yes ma'am," The guards marched out of the room and closed the door.

A/N- Sorries about that delay! I am absolutely inundated with college stuff and had no time to write. And with writer's block, the story is slow as usual. I want to know- Is there still anyone out there still interested in this story, b/c I kinda want to put this story on hold for a while. I just can't think of anything good to write!


	13. Beautiful Good Bye

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter Thirteen- _Beautiful Good Bye_

A/N- This chapter is dedicated to the readers. Thank you !!! And yes Mrs. Robinson, screw college!!! I only wish I could. And I'm sorry if this is not exactly as great as it could be…

And this is a revision of this chapter…a little bit of time rereading showed some errors and now they are hopefully all corrected!

* * *

Hazel eyes, that's all he could remember. From the moment he woke up, strapped in a chair, he could only concentrate on her emotionless and sharp hazel eyes and the shearing pain taking over his body and mind as a monotonous voice claimed his attention. He watched her as she walked over and wrenched his head to face the laser. 'No. NO!' he thought helplessly as his mind was subdued by the bombardment of the voice and images. His consciousness was at the edge of succumbing to the stern voice as the darkness that once engulfed his mind had returned. It was happening once again.

"NO!" he screamed once as he struggled against the chair before he lapsed into a coma. The woman watched in fascination. So much determination, she had not seen that before. So much will power from something so flawed. 'He's perfect' she smirked as she undid his restraints. Opening the door, the guards from the hallway rushed in to carry away the body.

"Tell White, this one's ready." She nodded to the head of the guards and walked away with her lab notebook, busily scribbling her observations down. Her heels clicked soundly against the cool linoleum floor; the sound faded into silence.

* * *

"Is this enough?" A woman's voice called out as she held up a test tube.

"I think so. Yeah that's more than enough." A man in a white lab coat walked by and inspected the sample. He turned on the intercom, "Please escort the subject to the basement. We've got our needed specimens."

A group of heavily armed guards noisily entered the isolated lab to escort the subject. Their heavy boots stomped across the room, leaving it as quiet as it was before their intrusion. The only sound was the occasional clang of metallic instruments and whirl of unknown equipments.

The woman sighed as she took a break from staring into the microscope, "There seem to more guards than usual. They're practically swarming the place. How are we supposed to work like this? What was so special about this subject? She looks like a normal girl to me."

"We're not supposed to talk about anything that goes on here. Besides, at least we have a job. Do you remember the outside world? It's hell out there; believe me. A few muscle- bound guards aren't going to make me quit." The man answered, effectively dropping the subject of the female who had lain on the cold metal table only fifteen minutes ago. She did look normal, but he already knew she was anything but.

* * *

She inhaled sharply, as if she had been not breathing for a long time. The old stabbing headache was back as she raised her head. She was on her knees with her hands chained behind her back. Even her feet were bound by iron chains. 'A little overkill,' she thought, 'I can hardly move my muscles even if they're not tied up.' A violent cough sent her panting for breathe, 'Did they have to kick me so hard? And in the rib cage too?' A similar cough alerted her to another's presence. 'Alec,' she breathed 'What do they want with both of us?' her eyes asked as they locked eyes, trying to silently communicate.

Her brown eyes did not understand what he was trying to say. They followed the imaginary path made by his eyes that lead to the door, which was guarded only by two guards. Her eyes grew large once she understood what he was trying to say. "Escape. Escape while I hold them off."

She shook her head slightly. "NO." she mouthed. 'Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for me. Don't you dare!' He ignored her as his gazed shifted to White, towering above them both to the few remaining guards. White's left hand held a small knife.

"Okay, chat time's over. If you two will give me your full undivided attention, please direct it to the alters in back of me," White spoke as he gestured to the earthen alters. "Yes, these are sacrificial alters and yes, you two will be the sacrifice of the day. Any questions?"

"Well, that was an awfully brief introduction to our deaths." Alec spat out as he smiled slightly. "What? No explanation for our deaths? I thought you needed our DNA or something like that. And what about your son? Don't you want him back?" Alec taunted as he struggled to stand up. White only walked over to Alec and gazed at his eyes for a moment before he backhanded the transgenic with his own superhuman strength.

"We've scrapped your DNA, both of them," White's gaze turned to Max and returned to Alec, "And we need you both dead. The fact that there's a ceremony tonight and that it requires two human sacrifices was just a bonus. Although I would hardly call you two human," White drawled on and turned to look at the alters as Alec looked intently at Max, "But, it's not my call. And as for my son, we'll get that information from the great Eyes Only. Any more idiotic question? I'm more than happy to answer, since this is your time you're wasting." White turned around with a sickeningly happy smile. He was so happy he could not wait until both were dead, by his hand.

"NOW," Alec mouthed to Max as he lunged forward to strike the nearest guard. Max watched in horror as she knew he could not hope to get past the guards. She broke her shackles and rose to her feet and started to attack a guard when Alec turned to her and screamed, "NO! MOVE IT MAX!"

She dropped the lifeless guard from her death grip and turned to blur towards the door. Two guards stood between her and freedom. Only two if Alec could hold on. She hesitated as she strangled one guard and kicked the other one's head in, effectively ending his life. She glanced at Alec and White. 'No, Alec,' She thought as White drew out his gun and fired a shot.

Alec had started to run toward the door when the look on Max's face told him it was over, for one of them. The bullet struck him from the back, on his left side, dangerously near his heart. He stumbled from the impact and started to fall as Max screamed. He fell to the ground; his blood started pooling out across the ground. Max rushed to his side, 'I can't believe I did even get the chance to tell her and now it's too late.' He turned his face toward hers and shakily stretched his hand out to touch her face one last time.

Tears sprang from her eyes when she saw the bullet hit him. Holding him, she could hear his heart beating furiously as if to keep itself from stopping. One clear dewdrop fell from her face to his as his blood stained hand reached up to touch her face. She smiled weakly as she grasped his already cold hand in her own and brought it to her face.

"Don't cry for me, Maxie" His strangled throat managed to speak, "Can't believe you care. Better late than never."

"Yeah? I don't care for you, you idiot. I don't care if you live." She spoke tearfully.

'Goss, I'm going to miss her face. I wish I had told her.' Alec thought as his hand slipped out of hers.

Max cried softly as she heard his heart slow down. It had stopped, he was gone. She removed her hand from his wound. She stared at it with fascination; this is Alec's blood. She bit her hand until blood flowed freely. White watched her in shock as she mingled Alec's blood with her own. Did she finally snap? What this the trigger Lydecker reported about long ago? He watched as she rose and brushed herself off. The look in her eyes reflected only pure hate for the person in front of her. She screamed a blood-curding battle cry as she charged.

* * *

A/N- Not the escape someone wanted…but still review! Still, I don't I'll ever be able to update as quick I did this time. Please be patient w/ me! Till the next update! :) I'm still on the "end this story" ride…I know, I personally detest authors who do that and here I am contemplating story-acide. I will try to finish this…(tentative promise) 


	14. The Bend in the Road

A/N- Hmm…someone's still reading this? I'm a little shocked…

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter 14: The Bend in the Road

'Despite the times you let me down, you have been there to save me, even when I didn't know I needed saving and wouldn't admit it even if I knew. I need you to back me up.'

I never thought of you as a person. I never thought about your feelings or how my harsh words scarred you on the inside, even though you would never admit it to me. You never let that mask of hidden emotions slip, except only once and even then I wasn't sure. I tried to be your friend and you pushed me away. We're not that different you know? We push people away; that's what we were programmed to do. I was only saved because he gave me my heart back and I learned to be human once more. 

I knew you had a tortured soul, much like my own but I never did anything. I never tried to help you with coping with the outside world; in face I scorned you whenever you tried to be close to me. I never thanked you or appreciated the fact that you were my friend and always looked out for me. I was too stubborn to accept your friendship, even when I used you to push him away. The fact is that you were too annoying and--And now you're gone. I never got to say I do care about you until it was too late. I'm sorry. You're gone…you can't be gone. I still hear your voice and I still see your face. I still see that cocky smile you flashed at me. I still hear your laughter, rare as it was. I can almost feel your warm hand, soaked in blood. I still see his sinister smiling face as you fell into a lifeless heap on the ground. I couldn't stop him! You're gone and I couldn't do anything. Where are you?

****

_Flashback (To the time right before chapter 4-Showdown)_

"Max?" A far too familiar voice called out

"What? Oh it's you." She regarded him with more than the usual contempt. Turning her back to him, she continued to ignore him as she concentrated on everything but him. Lockers were incredibly fascinating that particular day. They had the most intricate patterns Max had never noticed before or took the time to appreciate. And the chipped red paint only added to its quaint and distinct charm. 

"I'm not going to disappear just because you're ignoring me." Alec finally stopped trying to claim her attention. He sighed comfortably as he leaned against the wall waiting for something.

"And that's a terrible shame. Well, it never killed to dream. Maybe I'll get my wish someday and you will go poof!" She finally turned and faced him. She scoffed at his face and walked away. A safe distance away, she muttered, "I can't even look at you."

Alec stared after her with the most puzzled face. Why this much venom so early in the morning? Hmm, this definitely calls for investigating.

"Hey Cindy. It's a beautiful morning, but not half as beautiful as you." Alec greeted her cheerfully with as much charm as he could muster by concentrating all of it into a blindingly brilliant smile.

"Whoa, down boy. Cindy got nothing to say to you, so you can turn off that smile." Cindy gave Alec a cold look before she hurried with uncustomary haste to go on a run. She snatched a packet from Normal's hand and sped off.

An annoying voice sounded from the background, "You see people? That's what you all should be doing. Now bip!" Normal was momentarily stunned by Cindy's apparent burst of eagerness for work, but shrugged it off. Perhaps his wholesome influence was finally rubbing off on these sluggards. He would have to keep the good work up.

Alec was completely baffled. What was wrong with everyone? Why was everyone giving him the cold shoulder? He didn't think it was anything when Sketchy avoided his look earlier that morning. 'Did I forget something important?'Alec thought a while before his memory of a certain urgent phone call hit him. 'Crap, I knew I forgot something. Now I have to go apologize to Max. That's gonna be so fun.' He reluctantly went in search for the one he had let down, again. 'Why am I always apologizing to her? And if I don't, she's gonna make my week hell. Just great.'

"Look Max, I'm--" Alec started contritely when Max rudely cut him off with her infamous glare.

"Sorry? You're sorry? You think that does anything? The word "sorry" doesn't change anything. He could have died and you're sorry?!" Max started ranting about how unreliable Alec was. How dare he have the guts to speak to her!?

"Will you let me finish?" Alec cut in, just as rude as Max. He was determined to apologize even if she didn't want to hear it. Max fumed but was miraculously silent for the moment.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I was," he searched for the right word, "occupied and I couldn't get away. Still, Logan pulled out of it and Josh came through for you."

"That's the second time that Joshua had to take your place. If it weren't for him, Logan would be dead by now. And you have the nerve to claim that you were "occupied"? Don't even try. Just go away. And don't speak to me again." Max's ire grew as she listened to his sham of an excuse. "Occupied"? Sure maybe with some hot chick he just couldn't keep his hands off.

"Max, I'm trying to say I'm sorry and you're brushing me off as if I was out last night partying and deliberately trying to let Logan die. I said I was occupied and I was!" Alec couldn't believe her. She was so stubborn! Why wouldn't she believe him! He was busy dodging White and his wonderful lackeys. And then he met this girl…

"Fine, Alec. Whatever, I believe you. I do and now, I have a job to do. Please excuse me." Max left in a hurry, similar to Original Cindy. Normal nodded approvingly at her departure. He was definitely doing a good job. 'First the Nubian princess, then Missy Miss. Damn, I'm good.'

Max rode off on her bike, angrier than before. He could have been lying dead or captured by White for all she knew. She had worried about him last night and here he was, alive and healthy. 'He can get captured by White for all I care. I'm never going to forgive him for what he did.'

~~~~

_A few weeks later of the memory…_

That time at Crash was the first time Max spoke to him in weeks and it was a relief. He guessed she had finally cooled down and had other things to worry about, especially about Mr. Superhero and the lovely Asha. It was apparent that things were not always as platonic as it seemed between the two. Still the strain between Alec and Max not speaking left an uneasy tension in the air in which certain friends had to chose sides and not speak to the others. There was a breath of fresh air when they finally spoke and the relationship began to mend when White decided to pop his timely face up. 

Dancing, they were dancing together and not making taunting remarks at each other. They were just dancing like two friends and the world was good. A little peace is not a bad thing for the mind and dancing with him was not a bad thing either. The music was loud but her thoughts were louder, 'Am I getting along with Alec? Whoa, this is a weird experience!' The crowd swayed together as couples engaged in fast paced movements across the floor. It was a normal night and she was a normal girl dancing with a normal boy. Why didn't it last? The memory of that night began to melt and fade into the dull light, the night her life took a turn for the worse. Maybe she should have left Seattle before things got out of control. It went against her instincts to stay and yet, she could not leave.

_End of Flashback_

Max groaned silently as she cracked open her eyes. Pains stabbed her from every part of her body, it probably would be better if she was unconscious. Memories of a fight with Alec came flooding back in her groggy mind. She winced as she remembered her fight with White. Why did she seem so slow? Every time she attacked, he was ten steps ahead of her and those damned punches of his. Her foggy mind had a hard time comprehending; it was as if she fought with the skills of a normal human. Her kicks did not even seem register as she fought as hard and as swift as she could. 

'I wonder if Alec…' she pondered when she remembered. It was just a memory, he was not alive. She was back in her cell and Alec was dead. She was trapped again and Alec was dead. White had beaten her within an inch of her life and Alec was dead. 

Alec was dead.

****

"I can't believe you killed him! And those two other transgenics, you didn't even let me scrap their DNA. That was not the plan, Ames and you know it." A pale faced woman in a lab coat spoke softly, even though she wanted to scream. Her precious plans, they were all ruined.

"Calm down, doc. You still have the female to fuss with. And the other three were expendable. You know, she wasn't really that tough especially after I drugged her and electrocuted her. Pretty easy if you ask me."

"But I could have used his genes and now he's dead. And the other two, who knows what secrets their genes might hold? What am I going to tell the Conclave?" Fear showed clearly in her hazel eyes, a weakness that she had since childhood.

"Tell them what you want and--"

"And what?" There was something in the way he acted that made her suspect him for hiding something.

"And, things are not as bad as you think. Stop the hysterics, Bromley. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, you are not cut out for this." He gave her a superior look while she clearly could not control her fear. He would never understand why the Conclave let her live; she should have been killed or released into the world. 

"But Ames--"

"But nothing. You still can't control your fear at this age. Pathetic, that's what you are." Ames left without a backward glance as the trembling woman.

Doctor Bromley grinded her teeth as he departed. "Easy for you to say, you don't have to report to them." She muttered to herself. "How I despise him."

There wasn't a time she could remember when she did not hate Ames White; Ames, the wonderful rising star of the familiars who made his first kill at the mere age of three. Even before she met him, she had hated listening to his latest exploits and how great an asset he would become when he had reached maturity. 

She had finally met him in a social gathering at the age of twelve. He was the most arrogant braggart in the history of the world. He openly revealed his disgust at her being allowed at the gathering. It was supposed to be a meeting of the strongest and brightest, he said, and she was neither. She was only there because of her father's position. Of course, daddy could pull some strings, but she was there because she deserved it. She was snubbed at that meeting because of him; him and his brighter colleagues. From that day forth, she swore a promise to herself, "Just you wait, brother, just you wait. Someday, I will be head of the Conclave and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Head of the Conclave, what a lofty dream. She was just a child then and even as she grew up she still dared to dream it. And now, Ames was trying to ruin it. 'Over my dead body.' Bromley swore as she walked toward a lab. She had some samples to work with.

****

When I first saw you, I thought you were Ben, coming back to take his revenge. And you have taken it. Are you going to haunt me like Ben? Like everyone else I couldn't save? 

Max rattled her chains restlessly. A restraint on every limb and enough chains to make sure she could not move with ease. 'I need to get out. I need to escape. I need to get out of here.' Her mind was flooding with thoughts of only escaping while her eyes stung with unshed tears. No more crying. Crying would not bring him back, crying would not free her, crying would not help. 'What about Zack?' she thought suddenly. Could he still be alive? Or was he dead by the hands of that murderer? The suffocating smell of death surrounded her, filling her lungs. She trashed about wildly, trying to weaken the chains somehow.

Logan, would Logan come? Did he even have the resources to come? No, all hopes on any rescue party was extinguished. If she was going to get out, she would have to rescue herself. Nobody's coming, no cavalry is coming, no big brother is watching over me. I'm going to get myself out and when I do…

"WHITE!" she screamed into the lifeless cameras, "White! I will kill you! I will kill you for all you have done!" She continued to scream in anguish. A man watched her struggling on a screen. He jingled the heavy bundle of keys he had stolen from the unconscious guard laying dead on the floor. He took one last look at the screen before he exited the monitoring room and locked it. He needed time before he was discovered.

****

A/N- Sigh It's done, another chapter is done. ARGH! I will try not to kill this fanfic, no guarantees. Till next time. Ciao.

Hmm, confused? Hope the little changes helped. It was a memory, not that Max and Alec somehow miraculously pop out of the place free as birds. That's not going to happen…


	15. Escape

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter 15: Escape

********

_'One chain broke, three to go.'_  There were small sounds of struggling and scrapping against metal that were muffled by the efforts of the escapee. She only hoped no one noticed her efforts. '_Three more till freedom. Three more.'_

She concentrated hard on her chains and tried to push all thoughts of those lying dead and cold away from her mind. This was no time to be distracted. Freedom first, then revenge, then she would mourn for those that fell.

Somehow, the tears would not stop falling. The pain was too strong for her to suppress anymore. She could have saved them from their untimely demises and she failed each one. No, this is not the time to think of them. When she was free and killing the one who hurt them; that would be the time to unleash her anger and sorrow. There was a time for everything. Just three more to go.

She froze immediately when she heard faint footfalls in the hallway. Had they already discovered her? Curse those cameras! She lay still as she silently hoped that they were not coming for her. She swallowed hard as she heard the steps stop heavily before her door. Time seemed to slow down as she heard a distinct noise of metallic keys. Her breathing slowed to a shallow pant. Was it her turn to join the dead? Her beaten body could not take the torture much longer. Her eyes hardened within a moment; her mind had decided and her decision was clear: I am going to go down fighting.

With that thought, she wrenched her arms forcefully and noisily snapped the other chain on her left arm with what remaining strength she had. Ignoring the sharp pains on her freed hands, she quickly turned her attention to her feet. Two more to go.

****

"Hmmm, there is something unusual with this specimen." Bromley spoke more to herself than to the other lab assistants in the room. She peered curiously at the blood sample in the microscope. There was something odd about the blood.

"Are you sure you didn't contaminate this?" Bromley turned and gave a stern look as the female assistant who squirmed, slightly uncomfortable with the doctor looking at her.

"Yeah, I-I'm sure." She answered with slight hesitation. Bromley raised her right eyebrow ever so slightly. It was good that the lab tech feared her; it showed her authority and her status over the two. She returned to gaze at the samples, her forehead wrinkling faintly.

"Might I inquire what is so unusual about the samples?" The male technician spoke up. Bromley sighed with impatience and turned away from the samples, yet again. She needed some quiet time to analyze the DNA and blood samples. Still, there was something about them that made her uneasy. She had never seen anything like that, not even in familiars.

"I don't know. There is just something strange about the blood and I haven't even processed them yet. Maybe that will reveal something useful." A hint of doubt and possibly something akin to fear crept into her eyes. Inside she thought, '_What have you done, Sandeman? What have you created?_' She turned back to microscope.

"Oh, what should we do with the bodies?" The female asked. After she got no answer, she added timidly, "Of the trangenics?"

Doctor Bromley didn't bother to look at her, "Dissect them if you have the time and make sure to take a sample. Dead tissue could still be useful. And place their bodies back where you found them. The guy down at the morgue gets really cranky if the bodies are messed up. Bill's a bit of a perfectionist." She added with a hint of mirth in her voice. She added, "Now, if you two will leave me, I will conduct some tests. I'll inform you if I need assistance. That will be all." Her voice had reverted to its rigid resonance once more.

****

Max clawed wildly at her remaining chain on her left foot. Her raw and bruised wrists flew and strained against the stubborn bind. The key was being fitted into the lock. Her eyes glanced hastily at the door and resumed pulling the chain. _Just a little bit more…give me a few more seconds…_

There was no more time, Max thought as she heard the door creak open. She rose hastily to her feet and faced the door. She would fight hard before anyone got a chance to kill her. She slightly crouched into a defensive position with her hands free and ready to inflict damage on whoever was entering the room. Too bad her left foot remained fettered and restricted her movement, still she was lethal enough.

"Max," a soft familiar voice whispered into the small crack of the door, "Max, it's me, Zack. Don't attack."

"Zack," she breathed. Her eyes were confused for a moment but hardened instantly. Perhaps he was sent here to kill her as additional amusement for someone. She watched his emerging figure warily as he silently entered and shut the door with a quick glance into the hallway. 

He looked at her disheveled image and inched closer with his hands held before him to show he meant no harm to her. "Max, it's me. We have to get out of here, now. Trust me, Maxie."

"Why should I trust you? You killed them both and you probably would have killed me too." Anger and rage mixed in her voice, her hands still held defensively at her sides. _How dare White try to trick me once more with her brother? I will fight this time, brother or not._

"Fine, don't trust me. I'm not even sure if I can trust myself now, but we have to get you out of here." He held out his hand to her and when she didn't move, he pleaded, "Come on Maxie, trust me."

She looked at him and gestured at her foot, "Help me with this."

Within moments, the duo stealthily crept along the silent hallways. With Zack leading, Max guarded the rear, frequently glancing behind. Still her mind wandered from the important subject of escaping. Although her mind and eyes processed the information gathered in the dim hallway, she still thought of him. Max gasped when she thought she heard his voice. Alec?

"Watch it, Max," Zack commanded harshly when he felt Max bump into him. _Honestly, what was she thinking about at a critical time like this? We'll be caught for sure if she doesn't snap out of,_ he thought irritatingly at her apparently carelessness.

"Sorry," she whispered back. _'I keep thinking about Alec. Why? I guess I have too many memories of being on missions with him. Stop thinking of him, Max. You've got more pressing matters to think about, like getting out and kicking White from here to the North Pole and back again…' _She started to smirk on that last thought. She could almost imagine a certain hapless agent in pounds of shiny bright metallic chains being thrown mercilessly through the air. She was so busy plotting her strangely silly revenge that she was surprised she did not notice it at first. The hallways were eerily quiet without the slightest sound except the whispering of the wind. Where were the stomping boots of the guards?

Max scooted closer to Zack who was hunched over and peering cautiously around the next corner. "Zack? Something's wrong." She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Even in the dim light, she could tell he was thinking the same thing. He nodded and turned back to the corner. He quickly signaled her to retreat with his hands to the last passageway they came through. They found a janitor's closet and slipped in.

Even in the darkness, she could still hear her uneven breathing and feel her palms slick with perspiration. A growing hint of fear rested in the pit of her stomach. Did she knowingly blunder into a diabolical trap set by her own brother? She watched him as he took short glimpses out the door, left slightly ajar. There was no way to be sure of his true allegiance. 

As if he read her thoughts, Zack laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "No, this is not a trap. I though I heard something back there." After a few moments of tense silence, he added "So, which way do we go now?"

"I have no idea where we are." She admitted. "We have to rely on your knowledge."

"Okay, I think there's a fire escape a few corridors down, but let's wait here a while before we move out, just to be sure." He accepted her fragile trust and sat down on the floor, still eyeing the door.

Max sifted uncomfortably against the cool wall and waited in the awkward silence. She could not help but stare at her brother, he seemed barely changed on the outside, but inside, she could only wonder. "So, how did you get out anyways?"

"I don't really know," came his clipped answer. After a moment's consideration he continued, "I don't remember much of what happened except that I was ambushed and that they must have drugged me and messed with my mind because nothing after that makes sense. None of my memories of these past months make sense." He shook his head as if to make the jumble of distorted memories fall into the right places and suddenly be able to understand what exactly happened to him. "When I came to, my door was unlocked and there were two piles of clothes on the floor with a piece of paper. There was something scribbled on it."

Seeing him reluctant to continue, Max laid a hand gently on his shoulder. He looked into her face and unable to hold her gaze, he lowered his eyes to stare at the grey floor. "It was your number Max. It was your name."

"It must have been someone who was part of Manticore but the thing I don't get is how did you wake up?" She answered quickly. Her number? Why would anyone write that down? Was it a message and if so, to whom was it directed? There was something more than just familiars and White's minions in this place. Something almost vital she had to find.

Zack rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. Her pupils focused momentarily until she spotted a small puncture wound created by something small and sharp, like a needle. "Whoever left the door open must have injected you with some kind of antidote." She sat back down and waited. 

"Probably." He turned back to gaze out the small crack of the door. This was going to be a long wait.

Within the next hour, two figures crouching low to the ground snuck out of the facility through the most unlikely of all places, a fire escape. They had been painstakingly cautious and silent, often retracing their steps to a "safer" location. However it seemed as if there was no need for such precaution; there were no alarms and not obstacles. It was almost too easy. The place seemed deserted; either they were lucky or something else must have been occurring at the same time. Perhaps the person who left Zack's door open created a distraction. It _was_ possible, but it made her uneasy to accept the help of an unknown stranger. Perhaps this was the exact same tactic Manticore used on Zack, but the problem was, what did the familiars want? What could they possibly gain from setting free two trangenics?

Max wanted to shout in joy when she crawled out of yet another small hideout they had been stuck in just to make sure no one followed them or suspected their escape. She breathed the free air and even bent down to reverently caress the wet ground. The sounds of thunder and the sensation of rain on her skin was probably one of the best feelings she had in the past year and she relished them greatly.

But for some reason, in the back of her mind, the notion of freedom finally dawned on her and she knew she had never been so far from true freedom. This was not freedom, maybe a poor substitute to the real thing and sure, it was as much as she could expect to get at the meantime. But real freedom did not involve a group of genetically interbreeding group of fanatics chasing you because of this strange writing that pops out on your skin because your creator decided to write it into your genome. 

No, freedom was just that, being free to be anything you wanted.

Zack tugged on her arm urgently and signaled that they should move as fast as possible. Max shook her head no. There was something she needed to do first. She had to go back.

*********

A/N- So another chapter is done and it was long…needed to get that plot moving again…so, review plz? Thank you so much for the reviews and I'm sorry if you didn't really get the last chapter- it's been edited a bit to clarify things. Basically, poor Max's mind is going a little insane. Oh and if you can, answer this question: Which do you like better: stories in the first person or third? Does it matter?


	16. Graveyard of Hope

Tempest of Emotions: Chapter 16

_Burial of Hope_

* * *

Zack stared dumbly at his little sister. No, she did not just say she wanted to march back into the place where she was being held captive only an hour ago and no, he was not losing his mind for not thinking she said just that. Wait, that's exactly what Max just said. He stared at her dumbfounded.

"Are you crazy?! You can't go back in! You'll be caught, for sure." He exploded.

"I have to go back. No, we have to go back." She insisted, emphasizing heavily on the 'we'.

"No, I got you out and I am not letting you go back in there. You're going to get yourself killed!" He tried to keep the emotions from straining his voice. He could hardly believe his ears. Was she really so stupid as to dare to risk her life and even his to go back into that forsaken lab after they just got out? Perhaps she was more insane than he would like to think.

"I'm going back, with or without you." He sighed heavily. He could hear the same steely determination in her voice. She was still just as stubborn as before, if not more. Had she learned nothing from the past years? Escape and evade, that was the only sure way to stay free. This plan was completely illogical. What could possibly be in the lab that she justhad to go back for?

"Why?" He asked finally.

She smiled grimly, "They've got bodies. Bodies of friends, close friends" Zack nodded his head. He lowered his head in deep thought.

"Besides, if White decides to take some tissue samples, who knows how he's going to use it against the rest of us?" She persisted.

He lifted his head and stared into her brown eyes. Determination and an almost invisible flicker of anger stared back at him. She wanted revenge, he could understand that, but getting that revenge could get her killed along with it. She needed someone to help her. He nodded his head slowly, convincing himself that going back was not an incredibly stupid mistake.

"When?"

Max almost jumped up to hug him. In the fervor of escaping and seeing him again, she had almost forgotten her injuries. Now in the sticky and uncomfortable mud, the pain of a few broken ribs and other wounds came throbbing back. She clutched her side for a moment, willing her mind to remember the lessons she learned long ago.Pain can be controlled by the mind. She repeated the simple phrase over and over until a slow numbing sensation settled over her body.

"Max?" Her eyes snapped over at the touch of his hand on her shoulder. She did not even realize her eyes were squeezed tight.

"As soon as we're rested. It would be easier for us if White hasn't notice us gone yet. A quick in and out." She spoke quickly, telling both herself and her brother how simple this plan would be. Yet, even as she spoke, her mind wondered if she was not a fool for storming a place where she was held captive for just a few dead corpses. That's all they were, a couple of corpses that neither held the determination or joy of the essences that once inhabited them. If either she or her brother were to die in the effort, then everything would be in vain. And she didn't know how much more death she could handle.

She glanced at the grey and forlorn sky. It seemed to match her mood perfectly; dark and gloomy with a storm brewing in center the threatening clouds that loomed over their heads. The rising wind tousled her hair, making strands of it blow aggravatingly into her face. The wind blew harder, a bone chilling breeze sent goose bumps all over her skin. Max tugged on her shirt hoping to find some more warmth. She curled up into a tight ball with her hands encasing her knees, drawing them as close to her body as possible. Shifting her body to one side, she settled down to rest before the next ordeal. Beside her, her brother was doing the same thing. In fact, he was so restive that a few snores escaped his nose!

Max smiled, genuinely for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity of hopelessness and pain. Observing him closer, she found Zack's face to not be the same one that greeted her only a year ago. A year? Could it be? So much had changed in that year and now, he was back by her side.

She would remember that smile for a long time, for it would be while before she really had anything to smile about.

With the small changes, he looked almost older. His hair was slightly shorter, his face was gaunter and a few lines marred his stony feature. Yes, he had suffered too since the last time they met and yet, she could not figure out how he remembered everything. Perhaps a certain person decided to tinker with Zack's brain. Her fists clenched tightly until they were white with anger and hatred. So much suffering and all because of him.

"I'll kill you if I ever see you again. And this time, you won't live to escape again. You will never be allowed to hurt anyone I care about anymore." Max swore slightly under her breath and relaxed her clenched fists.

Her brother stirred, "Max? Did you say something?"

"No, go back to sleep. We need to head out soon." She turned on her side and pondered on the past month and the impending reentrance of the lab. She started to question her own motives. Whydid she want to go back for? What was she hoping to find? Nothing except death would welcome her and yet, something else beckoned to her. A nagging feeling in her gut told her that everything was not as simple as it seemed. Dismissing the annoying thought, she closed her eyes and attempted to find sleep.

* * *

Entering a highly guarded facility was hard and entering a highly guarded facility where you just escaped and now were reentering for the retrieval of a few bodies and trying to do so while escaping detection was twice as hard. But for some reason, Zack did not have much trouble sneaking himself and Max back in. In fact, everything went along extremely smoothly. The few guards placed scantily around the perimeter were quickly and silently killed by strong and swift hands. A quick flick of the wrists and all was quiet again. Their deaths were so sudden that the guards did not even have a moment to think, much less protest.

Again, Zack led while Max guarded the rear. The pair slowly made their way through the dim and quiet hallways. There was little noise with the exception of faint sounds a pair of shoes clicking against the floor in the distance and the eerie call of the rising wind reverberating within the hollow halls.

Max felt the small hairs on her neck rise up as an unknown and unseen terror seemed to grasp at and squeeze her heart tightly. She shook her head to try to banish the fear rising from her stomach, but it was so dreadful that she was slowly paralyzed by the creeping panic. Her breathing grew quick and shallow as she could almost feel a million eyes piercing the silence. She had not felt this scared in a long time and it made her even more frightened. The uneasiness grew exponentially until Max was absolutely sure that they were being followed and that the halls were not nearly as empty as they seemed.

"We're here." Zack whispered, startling her. Max forced her legs to move once more and shuffled across the hallway. They stood in front of a set of white double doors. Max glanced around furtively while Zack broke the lock.

The two entered what could only be termed as a massive room filled with sturdy grey cabinets stacked against the wall. The room was cool and dimly lit, even after the lights were switched on.

"How many you think they got?"

"Couple hundred, at least. Well, let's get going. We don't have much time."

A strange and almost stifling stench permeated the air. Max coughed softly and took one side of the room, while her brother took the other. Together they quickly opened and closed the steel doors and studied the bodies within. Most of the corpses were in bags, a few bags were opened and a few were completely empty with the exception of a black plastic container. Max was the first to find one open bagged body and barely contained her shock in a stifled gasp. Zack hardly glanced in her direction; studiously searching. Max quickly shut the door and proceeded to the next.

After a short search, they found Alena and Ernie's bodies; in fact their bags were labeled with their designation. Max nearly choked on her tears and anger when she unzipped the body bags to verify the body. They were all cold to touch, but then that was to be expected. However, search as they might, they could not find the body of 494.

Unwittingly, the breaking in and entering of the morgue triggered a silent alarm. As the transgenics searched frantically, guards were being armed and drawing nearer and nearer. Radios crackled to life as the once empty hallways filled with heavily armed people, each with an order to kill all but the target. Stealthily they crept down the paths where the pair was only a short time ago.

Max knew something was wrong when the dreaded silence of the hallways was replaced by a soft thudding noise that sounded almost like the trending of boots in the far distant. With her bruised skull, she could not be sure, but the sense of unease would not leave her. It would seem that the facility was not as empty as it once was. Apparently Zack felt the small disturbance too. He glanced over at her with a look that told her, time was almost up.

"I'll create a disturbance while you keep on searching." Max said while Zack nodded and continued to look. Her eyes scanned the lab for anything and an idea popped into her head; she thought of the perfect plan. She picked up three large brown jars of chemicals and set them on a nearby table. Next she started rooting in one of the large grey cabinets. Finding what she needed, she hurried to place them on the same table. Now, all she needed were matches.

"Hey Zack, which do you prefer? Chemical or just your everyday trashcan fire?" Max asked with a hint of mirth in her voice, holding up a brown jar in one hand and a small trashcan in the other.

Zack paused and looked. "I don't know. Pick one." He shrugged and went back to searching.

Max looked at her supplies, muttering to herself that she would make a masterpiece of a conflagration that would raze the whole accursed lab when it was done. She uncorked one of the bottles and hurried to pour some of the volatile liquid on the small mound of papers she stuffed in the trashcan. She set it up in one corner and hastened to open another bottle and poured its clear liquid liberally over the floor near the trashcan, making sure that the two flammable chemicals did not touch each other and spark a flame, yet. Next, she took the remaining bottle and carefully splashed some of its yellow contents on the walls. She set the bottle with its remaining liquid near the double doors; when the fire hit that bottle, there would be a nice explosive surprise for anyone who just happened to blunder in. Finally she made a trail of paper leading to the trashcan and struck a match. It crackled merrily in her hand. Lifting it to her face, she stared into the orange-yellow flame with a hint of blue in its depths. The bright light of the flame spread over her face, casting flickering light and shadows on it, making Max resemble a Jack-o-lantern. Max smiled at the small amount of heat the flame gave off. Its warmth seemed to pour into her skin and made her extremely content for the moment.

"Max, you might want to see this," Zack's voice carried a hint of foreboding. Max looked and took a sharp intake of air when she saw Zack holding up two body bags with their designations marked on them. She hurried over and touched the bags, as if to see if they were real and not fabrications of a tired mind. They were real.

"Where did you find these?" She asked when she finally tore her eyes off the morbid objects.

"Here," he pointed to a large white cabinet. "Guess these are the ones they were preparing to use."

"Did you-?" Max started to ask when he cut her off.

"No, I didn't find one for him," Max nodded and continued to search. While her hands moved mechanically, her mind was else where. Her face was drained of all color and she truly resembled a ghost with the exception of the smudges of dirt she recently acquired. All she wanted to do was hang her arms in defeat; the hope of Alec being alive dwindled into nothingness.

'Now I have to find his body. And we have to get out here alive and also not get caught. My distraction should- She suddenly remembered the lighted match.

* * *

"Max! Look at this." Zack's voice came urgently. Max twisted around to see him hold up a body bag marked in bold letters with the numbers "X5-494"

"Where's Alec's body?! It could not have vanished!" She screamed against the roaring flames. The fire had spread and had quickly engulfed the room; soon, everything would be aflame. Still she ran around the room, searching.

"We don't have anymore time! We have to leave! NOW!" Zack cried, unsuccessfully dragging Max away from the remaining cabinets.

"We can't leave! We have to find his body!"

"They probably took it for experimenting. Look, if we don't leave now, we'll be caught between the fire and the guards!" His voice was desperate. Max finally stopped fighting and allowed herself to be pulled away from the burning room. "Come on, Max, I found a small window- we get out through it." Zack's voice grew softer. He coaxed her to the window and after she went through, he followed quickly.

Nearby a large group of guards clothed in black garbs silently approached the lab door. Their radios were turned off as their leader raised her hand for them to follow her at her signal. Their hearts beat grew loud; pounding fear into their brains. With a quick flick of her wrist, a guard kicked down the door. A burst of flame and volatile chemicals came erupting into the once calm hallways. Before any had a chance to react, a secondary burst of fire followed. Larger than the first, its tendrils of flames stealthy climbed the walls. Eagerly the tongues of flames licked the ceiling until the dark hallways became bright in its brilliant orange-red luminance. Smoke poured into every room and soon many collapsed from it. The conflagration quickly swallowed up the compound like a hungry predator devours its prey in a moment of bloodlust and hunger. Within moments, the relatively small fire grew large until it became a giant. Soon, everything crackled merrily in flames. The blaze soon spread to a few trees nearby as people who escaped the fiery oven found themselves confronted with yet another burning barricade.

Zack looked back at the inferno and stately very calmly, "Perhaps you shouldn't have made it a chemical one."

Max nearly snorted with mirth while Zack permitted himself a very small smile. "This isn't exactly the time for this!" Her eyes were momentarily bright and happy once more. It was so strange to hear her stoic soldier of a brother tell a joke or even something dangerously close to one.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

Thunder boomed nearby as the rain went pitter-patter on the muddy ground. Two shadowy figures moved silent in the rain, even as it started to rain harder. Each holding one end, they slowly lowered two body bags into a shallow grave they had dug with their bare hands. One of them bent over and picked up an empty one labeled with bold black letters, 494, and threw it into the small pit. Not mindful of the rain, the figures began to fill the grave. When it was done, they stood silently over the fresh soil. Finally, one turned to leave and seeing the other stand still, tugged at her arm and left her alone. She stood there silent, her tears mixing with the rain. She walked away, turning back she whispered into the rising wind, "Good-bye. Forgive me." She joined the other person, together they walked away, blending into the dark sky and driving rain.

They had stolen a car somewhere, somewhere back the road where they buried the bodies. Her brother was driving and as he was concentrating on the road and making sure they weren't followed, he was not very talkative. She leaned back on the seat and let her mind wander. It had struck her as peculiar that they didn't find Alec's body. They searched all over the morgue and had even found two body bags reserved for them, marked in the same bold letters, 452 and 599. The images made her shudder, knowing she was so close to her own demise.

Home lay somewhere in the north, the far north. It was a strange feeling that she was going home to friends and her life as she knew it, but it was no really the life she knew. Someone would be missing and his absence weighed heavily on her mind. The city of Seattle called to her with its familiar skyline and places fondly burned into her memory. And yet, it would be different. She had lost three friends, all precious and special in their own way while she barely escaped the same fate with a part of her family. How strange it was for her to be reunited with her brother by the hands of a most loathed and hateful enemy. Her heart ached with the impending emptiness and swirling flames of hatred. She wanted to both weep and kill at the same time, but found herself unable to do either.

She glanced at her reflection in the dirty window. Even though it was blurry, she could still see how much she had changed. On the outside, she was merely bruised and a little thinner than before- the slop they gave her could hardly be called 'food'. But on the inside, she was broken. She brushed away streaks of dirt on her face and almost smiled as she wonder what Original Cindy would say if she saw her at that very moment. No, she wouldn't say anything. Cindy would gather her in her arms and squeeze her in a warm hug. All she wanted to do now was sleep. She was physically and emotionally tired. Curling up into a protective ball, her mind drifted off onto thoughts of home and friends. How she missed them all.

* * *

A/N- I know the humor is a little misplaced, but I'm tired of all the morbid-ness- the characters need to smile once in a while and so do I!

A/N2- I should have put up a warning earlier, I like epics and I think this is going to turn out to be one. Review plz and I'll try to write more!!! And is evil b/c it won't let me use those signs I'm so fond of! Great, now how am I gonna show breaks in the story? And sorries for the multi-mistakes I made in this!!! A sheer travesty to the English language!=]


	17. Breaking Points

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter 17: Breaking Points

By Azure Orbis

A/N– I'm back and so is this story. I said I would try to complete it and I will, hopefully by the end of the month since school starts then and all bets are off. I don't know if any of my old reviews still remember, much less still read this, but on the off chance they do- thanks for waiting! Now onto the story, the beginning is a peek into Original's mindset and although I love her slang, typing it is hell on Word. So, her thoughts and even dialogue are in normal English. And if there's any inconsistences, please tell me- I haven't read the fic in a long time, so my facts may be a little off.

_Humans have a breaking point. No matter how strong that person is or how jaded that person is, that person will at some point reach a point where he or she is unable to accept anything else and will retreat into their comfort zone until later. Transgenics are no different. They are_ _humans underneath all the extra strands of DNA and as humans go, we all have emotions that can seem to overwhelm us. But it's something else to know this fact of life and to watch my best friend retreat into her shell and although I'm overjoyed to see her, I'm starting to think that the worst is still ahead of her. I know she doesn't want me to worry about her, but sometimes I think it would be better to just take a nice, blunt object and threaten to knock her out if she doesn't take a moment out of her day to just talk about him. Yes, it's the person that we all love to hate, or at least like to know his latest antics, Alec. He's dead. I almost stopped breathing to hear that news. It's just that I haven't really experienced the death of someone close to me in a long time. The time when my little sister died from the food shortage years ago, was probably the first time I realized that death could come so quickly and remove something that I always thought would be a staple in my life. Perhaps it sounds twisted, but it's a good thing that I didn't know her that long because it would only make me miss her more. Somehow, in my strange world of illogical logic, it seems like those who die are the lucky ones because those who are dead don't have to feel the pain of being left behind. So, judging from my emotional state and twisted sense of logic, I obviously have not gotten over Melly's death. And she was only seven. See what I mean about being glad that I didn't have more time with her and gotten to love her more? Think what would happen if she were alive now and suddenly died! I would be stuck in depression forever, mourning her. And now Alec...no wonder they used to make a pill for this kind of stuff; speaking-of-which, I could use one now._

While annoying music blared on the newly-dubbed "sad radio", Original Cindy glanced at the silent figure near her. It had been two days since Max resurfaced in Seattle and they should rightly be out on the town now, celebrating as a drunken throng with all sorts of unknown people clinging to their group if it weren't for the shocking news. It couldn't be real and yet it was. How was it possible that someone like Alec was gone? The thought had not yet sunken into her head, and yet Cindy already missed that cocky, arrogant and dare she say it, loveable person. It was agreed that Max would not tell anyone else the sad news. It would be better for all who knew him to think that he was on a prolonged trip that was held up with bureaucratic red tape or some hassle like that.

Finally having enough of the song that kept on repeating how the singer just could not live without someone else, Cindy threw a well-aimed pillow toward the offending radio and was rewarded with a thud and then silence. It would be very peaceful and very calming if the person near her did not resemble a restless spirit more than a living breathing being. It would be more comforting if she would at least talk or vent about him because it would show that she was moving on, on some basic level. Cindy might not have a degree on human emotions, but she knew that bottling up emotions or denial could lead to only non-beneficial things. Maybe nothing as serious as a self-implosion, but nothing good.

"Do you want to tell me anything, honey?" Cindy implored quietly. Max shook her head no. She got up to leave when she felt a hand refrain her, "It'll come out alright, even if it don't feel like that now." Max walked away into her darken room and drew the curtains to shut out the rest of the apartment and her friend. She would tell her someday, but at the moment, she could not bring herself to repeat the past three weeks to anyone.

The bright lunar light drew her to the window. She stood and gazed at the full moon in amazement. It was not only stunning in its brilliant orange color, but the fact that this was one of those times where she could understand the myth about the man on the moon. It really looked like a smiling face of some ethereal being. Actually, as she looked closer, that face resembled more of a smirk, borderlining a sneer. Amazing, it seemed like everywhere she looked, there was his face or something to remind her. There was no escaping him. She started to rock back and forth in a soothing rhythm. Back and forth, always back and forth, forever back and forth.

* * *

"So, you going to show at work today?" Cindy asked, busy preparing her breakfast while Max poked absentmindedly at her cold and now soggy cereal.

"Nah, I don't think I can handle Normal. Not yet, not so soon." Her attention was still solely on her food.

"Okay, you might want to go see Logan today. He called again, you know? And he sounded really worried about you."

"Yeah, I could go visit him." Max replied halfheartedly.

Cindy picked up her bag and hugged Max goodbye, "Good, I'll see you when I get back and I'll try to rustle up something good for dinner."

Max stared at her food after Cindy left and pushed the plastic bowl away, deciding to not aggravate her stomach. Looking around the silent apartment, she wondered what to do with all the empty hours before her. She could visit Logan, as Cindy suggested, but judging from the last time she spoke to him, she didn't feel like talking to him or anyone for a while. What she needed was someone who could tell her a good story and maybe get her worked up at the same time- anything to get her animated and excited again. And of course, there used to be a perfect person for that, with his annoying habits of dropping in on her unannounced and butting into her business without her leave and finally, standing besides her while everything seemed to turn upside-down, just when she thought it had settled at last. But, alas her life never settled for long and she should know that by now, but like the simple-minded trusting person that she was, she thought that everything would stay under the radar and all the havoc that could break loose would just simmer for an eternity until she solved her life problems, which only seemed to grow with time.

A small breeze entered the apartment and tousled her dark locks. A memory of the one time she allowed him to run his fingers through her hair resurfaced quickly. She did not know what possessed him to do it and what strange impulse also possessed her to allow him to. Still, it was a strange and sweet moment, outside of their usual bicker and banter routine. It was a moment of familiarity that made her feel as she could only describe as "at home." Of safety, of familiarity and of comfort. The words seemed to breath of the memory and yet, how odd was that? She didn't even have a home, so how could she feel at home and even comfortable with him of all people? Perhaps it was the image that was fused into her mind, the one where the mother lovingly combs her child's hair while the child mimics the mother and combs the hair of her beloved dolly. Yes, that probably explained it and yet it didn't. She was not that child and he was not her mother, so where did logic of that explanation go? Whatever that moment of peace meant, could have meant, should have meant, it was gone now. Gone like yesterday's milk. She snorted, even her sense of humor was affected.

Grabbing an especially plump pillow, she curled up on the couch in her favorite spot, the part that was slightly more soft than any other part. This was Max's corner of comfort. Maybe instead of seeing Logan and getting more bad feelings by being there, she could just stay here. There was no harm in just staying here and wallowing in misery. No, she argued as her eyes misted over, she would just think about her friend and cherish the memories and the moments that she did not think to cherish at the time. He was at a better place now and even though it hurt, perhaps she could wait to see him again. That's the way to think, she told herself before fading into the memory of when they first met. _It all started in a dank cell after lights out and Max thought she had it all to herself for the night. Boy was she wrong...especially when someone waltzed in with a face she never thought she would see again..._

"_So when, will it end.  
So when, when will we meet again.  
So when, will it end.  
So when, when will we meet my friend."_

* * *

Original Cindy entered her home quietly and was relieved to find Max sleeping restfully on the couch. It was far better than the first night when Max returned and would not tell her anything except that the mission went south. She went to sleep as if nothing else happened and Cindy did not push her. She awoke later that night to hear Max screaming at the top of her lungs. She rushed over to find Max screaming and at the verge of crying, her blankets a complete disarray around her like a hurricane blew in while she slept. It was only then did Max tell her the news that Alec was not delayed as Cindy assumed he was. Cindy was stunned, too stunned to think of an appropriate remark, while Max managed to stop from crying. Together they sat in silence, remembering their friend.

Although Cindy was sad, she could not let herself show too much emotions, it seemed better this way. And now with Max coming back to a semblance of normal, she did not want to jeopardize it by openly mourning for him. No, she would mourn for him quietly. Still, even as her resolve to keep silent about his demise was made, she felt an immense sadness engulf her heart. There were times when Alec was so clearly human that she wanted to embrace him as a closer friend than he was. But those moments were so short and Max was always angry with him that she thought it was better not to intervene until the right time. Now, she would never get the chance to referee another one of their pointless arguments.

Sighing, she pushed the thought of Alec away to the back corner, her attention lay with her friend who was still living and still breathing. She shook Max awake gently, "It's time to eat. I brought you some chicken I managed to snag."

Max yawned and padded her way to the food. Together they ate in silence, each one not speaking, their thoughts far away.

A/N– I don't think this chapter is nearly dark enough for Max's headspace, but I wanted to update, especially since I've been so bad at that. And the next chapter will take care of that. One year! My apologies! I did swear I would try to finish this story, so here comes that crazy fanfiction writing fit. Updates and more updates! And the song is either a quote or paraphrasing of Yoko Kanno's Strangers from Wolf's Rain OST 1. It seemed appropriate, so it's there. Great OST, I recommend it. Next chapter is in the works and coming soon. Til then.


	18. Stormy Days Ahead

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter 18: Stormy Days Ahead

By Azure Orbis

A/N– Even I have to admit that the latest installment was not my best- for some reason, I'm stuck in the first person mode and can't quite transition into 3rd person, which runs smoother as a narrated story in my humble opinion. Well, this is up soon, as promised and it should be better since it contains old stuff from an old journal. And as the note from chapter 17 said, there will be more angst and guilt. Yes, the character needs to go through this phase and then, the pain will go away; eventually. _Oh and congratulation to those who made it to the 18th chapter!_

_1/20/06 –Slight editing, silly mistake.

* * *

_

_It's been a month since I've been back in Seattle and things are back to normal, whatever that means. The good news it that Normal is still fooled by my excuse and still thinks Alec is many miles away, alive and still mourning the tragic death of his dear parents. I haven't seen White for a while either, _she smiled a bit before sobering by the thought of Alec. _I can't believe he's not alive. Not here to constantly bug me and mess up everything. I can't believe he's gone and I'm still standing here. Why did he take that bullet for me? Why did he sacrifice himself for me? I can't accept that he's really gone, that he's never coming back. I don't think of him 24/7, but he's always on my mind no matter where I am or what I'm trying to pay attention too. At least Zack stayed in Seattle, even though we only meet occasionally to minimize the chances of us getting caught by the passing Manticore-affiliated official or something. Still, the guilt of what I could have done in order to save my friends gnaws at me. They were people I accepted into my hearts, for all their strengths and weaknesses, and now their spots stand empty, vacated. How can fragile human hearts heal from such loss? Or is that they never heal completely, that there is always a hole where someone used to be? I could have done something more. This pain...I can never forgive myself, knowing I could have done more._

White had kicked her savagely in the side and gave her a backhand that sent her sprawling to the other side, a good 15 feet away. She touched her side gingerly, remembering his inhuman strength that rivaled even hers. He broke a few ribs. Dr. Carr set them and patched her up when she returned. He said she would fully heal in a few more days, a week tops, but at the moment it hurt to breathe, eat and even laugh. Not that there was much reason to laugh. Returning from another checkup, Max headed off for work.

"You're late again." Normal announced as Max walked down the ramp into her home away from home. "You're exactly 3 minutes and 17 seconds late and it's coming off your paycheck!" Normal threatened. He was more than a little surprised when Max just shrugged if off and ignored him like he was nothing more than a passing annoyance. He watched in disgust while his employees moved slower than usual. He knew he should have listened to his mother and stayed at the farm or become a veterinarian. At least he would not have the aggravation of ignored by the very people whose paychecks he signed.

Normal did not like to be ignored, so he tried a different tactic, "So did you hear anything about Alec yet? I need my top man back, especially with all you lazy bums hanging round here." Max stopped and turned around, Normal continued his lecture, "This is a working establishment, so that means you're all here to work, not sit around chitchatting about the weather. Not paying you to do that. I'm paying you to deliver things, so bip!"

Normal looked at Max before quickly turning away and returning to his dispatcher duties, she was giving him a very strange look that frankly scared him. While she usually and sometimes very promptly, would have a witty remark to rebut his lectures, all she would do now was stare at him with those almost soulless eyes that spoke of something traumatic, he didn't know what. Those eyes seemed completely void of life and hope and it gave him the shivers. Whatever it was, he hoped it would go away. Until then, he decided to avoid antagonizing the girl.

Cindy picked up her packages, waiting while Max sat down and put her own packages in her backpack, deliberately taking her time. "I'll be hanging with you today. Asked Normal to pair me up with you. He gave me a dirty look." Max grunted, signing that she heard. The packages went in, one by one.

The rest of the day was a blur, handing over packages, riding down familiar and unfamiliar streets and collecting signatures. It was like she never left and yet, everything was different now. Original tried in vain to start a conversation but Max keep every thought to herself, concentrating instead on the job ahead of her and the aimless future that kept barreling towards her.

At home, Max lounged on her bed, hoping to attain peace of mind in her bedroom. The phone rang and Cindy picked it up. It was Logan.

"You should really come over," he urged. "You know, have dinner and you can bring guests too."

"I guess," Max answered, not really wanting to see Logan anytime soon, but unable to think up of a suitable refusal. She couldn't say she didn't want to see him because she didn't want to have any awkward moments.

"Fine," she finally agreed after his persistent pleading about how he missed her. "I'll see you on Friday with OC."

"Oh," he sounded slightly disappointed, "Well, see you then." Max hung up, dreading Friday. It wasn't that she was remotely afraid of what might happen, she wanted to avoid any potentially messy situations. If it were possible, she would gladly skip Friday and go straight to Saturday or even Monday.

Friday came inevitably, and here she was, at Logan's home. Original Cindy managed to come up with several different reasons to leave the two alone while she tried mixing up some drinks. Max sat back, relaxing into the luxurious and enveloping sofa, willing tonight to be not too disastrous. Logan was silent, she looked at him and found him staring at OC peeking at them.

"She's worried you know." He commented, with a light smile on his lips.

"Yeah, I know." She tried to smile, but it did not reach her eyes. She turned away, and gazed out at lights of the city skyline. It was beautiful as usual, but Max didn't care.

"Well, I forgot I've got an appointment to be at, so I'll catch ya later at home. Drinks are in the kitchen." Cindy broke the silence with her overt attempt to give the two some much needed time alone.

"No, you can stay, I've got dinner for three." Logan protested, like the gentleman that he was. Cindy shook her head and left.

"So," Logan began when he sat back down again. "Would you like some dinner?" Max nodded. He mutely departed for the kitchen, turning on a CD somewhere along the way. Max perked up at the sound; it was piano music, soft and haunting, and yet, clear and almost sharp. She brushed off the odd feeling that began to grow on her mind

At dinner, Logan gazed lovingly into her eyes. She avoided his eyes for the umpteenth time and stared at the dish in front of her. The savory smells of lamb's ribs tickled her nose and teased her stomach, but for some reason she wasn't very hungry. Perhaps it was because of the company or the obvious attempt at romance with the candle lights, the bottle of special label wind and the soft music in the background.

"You're home; I'm glad," Logan said with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Hmmm." Max answered as she finished her glass of wine in a single gulp. Logan watched her while he sipped his. Finishing, she immediately reached for the wine bottle at the middle of the table as did Logan. Before their hands could touch he stopped, made a face and withdrew his hand hastily. Max ignored his reaction, and simply poured another cup. Swallowing it all, she poured yet another one. Finishing it off, she spoke for the first time during the meal.

"Pre-Pulse?" She asked innocently, as if the tense atmosphere that surrounded them had not existed at all.

Logan looked up from his meat, slightly startled that she had spoken. "Yeah, opened it for your homecoming. It's the same stuff that my parents drank at their wedding ceremony. I might have been conceived on the stuff."

Max nodded curtly, spoiling Logan's attempts to spark a romantic mood for the evening. She just wasn't in the mood of that kind of stuff right now.

Suddenly, Max stopped, concentrating very hard on something other than Logan's voice. Everything in the room ceased to exist, except for the sound of music that became so painfully clear. That music...it suddenly became very familiar, too familiar. All of a sudden, the memory that was stored away, hidden for months resurfaced in her mind's eye as if it was occurring right before her again.

It was when Alec was starting to act strange and for a moment, Max was able to see someone underneath the mask he put on. It came crashing down all too quickly and Max dismissed the incident, putting it up as something in the air that affected her and the people around her temporarily. Alec was no different even after she tried to reach out to him.

That night, when things came to a halting end, she heard him playing the piano in Joshua's basement. It was a melody that she had no name for and yet, it had been completely memorized by her wonderful mind. It was filled with such sorrow that she did not think an inanimate object was capable of expressing. The sadness permeated her heart, opening a door that she couldn't open before. Behind it stood someone like her, someone who was hurting.

Joshua said that the only person Alec fooled was Alec. Oddly enough, he managed to fool more than just himself, he fooled her too. The only person who saw past that was Joshua and he didn't even have that much experience dealing with emotions.

Max berated herself for not realizing the stark fact that what Alec needed was a friend, not someone to lecture him night and day about his mistakes. What was worse was that she did not pursue the matter further. _I could have been a better friend, I could have done so much more. So much more I could have done so that you would all still be here...I am worthless, I didn't do enough to save them...Their deaths are on my head, their life bloods stain my hands._

Without excusing herself, Max bolted from the table, running out the door and down the stairs at top speed. Ignoring Logan's frantic calls, she rushed out of the building into the drizzling rain.

A mere dark blur due to her pace, she passed the few people outside who thought of her as nothing but the blustery north wind. She ran and ran, not knowing quite where she was going. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs ached from the sustained pace. The thought crossed her mind that she need to start training seriously to keep herself prepared for the future, before she collapsed, drawing in full breaths of oxygen while resting on an unknown road. Rested, she trudged back home slowly.

Max returned home, weary from the night's activities. Cindy still was not home. She collapsed on the couch, her mind wandering toward that subject once more. The melody of the music played once again in her head.

Someone pounded on the door and before she could open it, it swung open by itself, revealing Alec behind it.

"Alec," she gasped. Her heart stopped, he was alive!

"Hey Max," he greet her hoarsely, slowly staggering into the room.

"Alec, you're alive?" She asked in wonderment while her mind raced. "But I thought you were dead. I saw you get shot." Max started to back away from him, unsure what to believe now.

Alec rushed up to her, engulfing her in an embrace, "No, I didn't die, it was just a misunderstanding. I got away and I'm fine. Everything's alright Maxie, ya hear me? Everything's alright, I'm back and I'm not going anywhere." Alec whispered his comforting words into her ears.

"You're here? You're really here?" Max questioned him, stepping back to look at him, unwilling to believe her eyes.

"I'm really here."

"Good," she ran and hugged him again, savoring in the closeness of him.

"So, where have you been all this time?" They lounged on the couch, sagging with their combined weight.

"Traveling. You know it's really hard to get to Seattle without any mode of transportation or money. I mean, I can only run so far without anything."

"Wait a second, it takes more than a month to travel to here by foot from– you conned a bunch of sweet old ladies to give you a ride didn't you!" Max demanded after she noticed that self-congratulatory grin on his face.

"Wrong. I conned a bunch of sweet _young_ ladies to give me a ride." He smirked at her.

"I'll bet they did," Max huffed.

"Now, now Max, get your mind out of the gutter. We did not engage in any licentious activities; they were a bunch of nuns."

"Really?" She asked suspiciously

"Really really." He smiled and then groaned, "I sound like some high school boy or that green guy."

"Green guy?" Recognition dawned on her face, "Oh, you mean Shrek®?"

"Yeah, that one. Bet you're thinking Alec is still such a screwball don't you?"

"Not true, no "screwball" as you put it would take a bullet for me." Max smiled as she hit him playfully in the arm.

"Yeah and look where it got me." He replied, smiling in return. He put his arm around her shoulders slowly, as if testing her.

"At least you're still alive." Max's tone turned somber as they sat in amiable silence.

"Yeah, I've got that at least..." His voice sounded so distant and with an undercurrent of sadness to it.

"Are you okay Alec?" Alec did not speak, staring ahead in a trance. "Alec?"

Cindy closed the door behind and was surprised to see Max already home on the couch. "Hey Boo, didn't expect to see you home already. Things didn't go well with Logan?" Cindy asked in a falsely cheerful voice. When Max didn't respond, Cindy walked over to her. "Max? Is something wrong?" Instead of looking at her, Max turned to talk to someone who wasn't there.

"Max!" Cindy shook her hard. Her eyes finally rest on her friend, evidently the physical jerking shocked her from her stupor.

"Oh, hey OC." She smiled as if nothing is wrong.

"Were you just talking to someone? Is that why you didn't hear me?" Cindy demanded.

"Yeah, Alec's here. He's fine!" Max replied happily.

"What are you talking about honey, there's no one here." Cindy spoke slowly. Her friend's words scared her.

"Alec, he's right–here." Max turned to point out the man who is obviously sitting next to her, only to find that he has disappeared. Her eyes searched the room quickly, confusion spreading on her face. "Where'd he go? He was just here, talking with me!" Her hysteria starts rising, her voice uncertain. Her eyes continue searching.

"Max, he's dead. He can't be here." Cindy planted her hands firmly on Max's shoulders, her voice cracking at the statement.

Max finally looks at her, as if noticing her for the first time, a look of horror on her face. "What are you saying? That I was only hallucinating? He was never here!" Her hands came up to massage her temples, her brain throbbed.

"I'm afraid so," she asserted as gently as she could.

"NO!" Max shoved Cindy's hands off forcefully. She got up and started to pace erratically, massaging her aching head all the while. There was no possible way she dreamt up the last half hour. He had to be real, he had to be real.

"Max, please snap out of it!" Original pleaded, eyeing her friend warily, her hands still hurt where Max tore them off her shoulders.

"No, it can't be. _You're_ the hallucination, not him! He was here. He was here. I know he was here." Max repeated, trying to convince herself. She curled in a small ball against a corner, murmuring gibberish.

Cindy rushed over, unmindful of the possible danger. Max started rocking catatonically, back and forth.

"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa." She repeated the strange phrase over and over again, her voice growing louder until she was nearly shrieking. Her eyes darted wildly around the place while her hands pulled at her hair. Original Cindy tried to stop her from hurting herself, only to have her hands pushed painfully away.

"Max! Max, wake up!" Cindy shook her friend urgently. "Max, please honey, you're scaring me." There was still no recognition in the eyes that would stop to look at her every few moments, although to Cindy's relief, Max had stopped rocking back and forth.

After a while, Cindy managed to lead Max to her bed where she bunked down after burrowing into the blankets like a hedgehog. Cindy pulled the curtains close, before she clamped her hand over her mouth and let out a strangled sob. Watching her friend's mind disintegrate before her, while being helpless to do anything, was devastating.

Original Cindy was at a lost, she did not know what to do. Maybe she should get a doctor to come checkup on Max, but where would she get the money? A solution came to her mind. She picked up the phone and dialed a number. She waited until someone picked it up.

"Hello? Can you come over? Max has had a breakdown."

A/N "Mea culpa" means "My fault", in Latin. It should be pretty similar to Spanish seeing that Latin is the root of many romance languages including Spanish. Anyways, my overly enthusiastic Latin teacher told us that kings used to beat their chests, saying "Mea Culpa" whenever something went really wrong, saying that it was all their fault. And then, she'd use it too when she made mistakes and so that phrase is stuck in my mind and honestly, how many times can you use Latin in the modern world? And the appearance of Alec? Well, Max was hallucinating. Call it the fabrications of a tired mind. Sorry to burst your Alec bubble. Criticisms are appreciated as usual.


	19. Not the Same

Tempest of Emotions

Chapter 19: Not the Same

By Azure Orbis

A/N– Sorry, it's been a while, over three months, but still writing and still updating. The internet broke and a certain phone company still hasn't out that tech support yet! So I am uploading this via the public library– I love them for the computers now. My apologies on the extreme tardiness and please enjoy the chapter. It was hard to write and by the end, I hope you'll see why. Oh and this chapter is a bit long, so strap yourself in for a lengthy one. And the italics mean a flashback.

* * *

A knock at the door alerted her; he arrived. She opened it, a tight smile of relief on her face, "I'm glad you're here. She's in her bedroom." She opened the door more, standing back to let him in. He quickly strode past Cindy to her bedroom, seeing the mess she had created in her delirium. He stood, shocked, at the doorway, unsure what how to proceed.

"Kinda takes your breath away doesn't it?" Cindy asked humorlessly. Zack nodded, not bothering to think of a reply. Taking a deep breath, he entered her room. Walking slowly with his arms up, he neared her slowly. Her eyes were already watching him fearfully. He moved even slower toward her. When an animal felt cornered, that was when it would most likely lash out without any regard for its own safety; that was when it was most dangerous.

He started talking in his most soothing voice, knowing that she probably couldn't understand him anymore, but that his voice might serve to calm her. As it was, her eyes already exuded anger at this stranger intruding on her territory. Her body was crouched in a defensive position, ready to spring up and strike him at the slightest threatening movement. He sat down, a good ten feet away from her, his back slightly turned away from her, his eyes looking at the window to avoid eye contact.

"You know, Max, the weather here is really crappy. It's always raining and it always makes me wet, because you know, I don't carry umbrellas with me; too bulky." He explained. He glanced at her, she was still in the same position, ready to attack him, so he continued with his talk. "Anyways, I'll never understand why you insist on staying here, but then again you were always the sentimental one in the group, with exception to Jondy and Ben. You three were inseparable so I had a hard time dealing with you all. Now I guess, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but who knows what's good for us anymore right? Maybe, having some kind of sentiments will serve as an anchoring agent, to keep us mentally stable or something." He mused, wondering how he got to that point. He looked back at Max, who seemed to have lowered her alert level to heightened curiosity. Gradually, he slid near the foot of her bed, hunkering down in a ball to make himself look as harmless as possible. She feigned indifference, but he knew she was listening to him intently, so he continued talking softly, reminiscing about their past days.

After a long time, he slipped out of her room silently, sliding the curtains behind him. Max was asleep, lulled to rest by his quiet voice, and Cindy was waiting. "You know what caused this?" He asked her quietly, hoping not to disturb the sleeping person. They walked further away to continue talking, before settling down on two old chairs.

Cindy remained silent, remembering the day she came home to see Max crying on the floor. It was unnerving; to see someone she admired so much, someone who seemed unbreakable to be sobbing on the living room floor. She hugged Max, trying to help her in anyway.

"_You know, there's a reason I didn't let people near me. The fact is that they're weak and they die and that just leaves me here wondering if it was worth it. I mean, why bother caring about anyone if all they'll do is die?" Max started choking up, her face strained with emotion. Cindy rushed over to hug her._

"_Shhh, honey, it's okay." Cindy cooed, in her best maternal voice, mimicking her own mother, a memory long faded with time._

"_I can't help but wonder if they didn't know me, they would all be alive! They died because of me! I **am** poison. That scumbag was right, I am poison." The tears flowed freely now. Outside the rain grew heavier and the thunder boomed loudly in the distance. The lightning's jagged edges lit up the pale grey sky to a brilliant white, illuminating the city for a brief second. The pouring rain blanketed the city relentlessly, covering it with a sheen of murky waters. _

"_You don't really believe that, do you boo?" Cindy asked, shocked at the confession. The sky returned to its grey color as the brief burst of light subsided and gave way to darkness once more. _

"_**You **almost died because of me too, Cindy. Don't you remember?" A pair of red-rimmed eyes gazed up at her, Original Cindy frowned._

_After a long, hard silence Cindy replied, "Yes, I do," evidently still recalling the first time she felt that her life was in extreme danger and all the revelations that came with that danger. She let go of Max, her face was unreadable as she remembered the horror when she discovered that her landlord was dead and that people who killed him were also after her. It was a terrifying thought as helplessness descended on her. She could hold her own against disgruntled members of the opposite sex, but she was not so sure she'd fare well against hyped-up homo-sapiens with plenty of guns and no fear._

"_Guess what Max, you're the one who saved me too, so we're even."_

"_But I couldn't save them!" Max cried, her tears overflowed again. Cindy rushed to embrace her again, acting like a protective cocoon against the elements for the wind-torn girl._

"_I didn't mean it like that!" Cindy tried to comfort her friend, but Max only hugged her tighter and cried harder. Cindy held on to her tightly, unable to do anything else. Together they sat on the cool floor, one crying, the other struggling not to. _

"She cried?" Zack asked after listening to Cindy's recollection of the past month.

"Yeah, mostly when I wasn't at home. I should have stayed home more, but Normal threatened to fire me and I couldn't say that Max was back. It's all my--"

"No, it isn't. It's not your fault." Zack interrupted, "I should have stayed with her more, but I didn't think it would have such an adverse impact on her." He looked back toward her bedroom. "She cried huh? She was always the most soft hearted." He paused, thinking to himself, "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen an X-5 cry before."

"Never?" Cindy asked. X-5's did not cry?

"Never."

"So, what should I do? About her?" Cindy asked after Zack maintained the silence, hunched over in thought.

He straightened up, "I'm not sure, but continue watching her and try to keep her calm. Hopefully she'll come out of it on her own."

"Hopefully? You mean you have no idea what to do." Cindy's voice rose in anger and panic.

Zack glared at her, silencing her for the moment. "She'll pull out. She's too strong for this."

"And if she doesn't?" Cindy quipped.

"Then maybe that Logan guy can help." He conceded, getting up. "Give me 72 hours first; I'll try to come back as soon as possible." He headed toward the door.

"What? You're telling me to go to Logan as a last resort? Why shouldn't I tell him now?"

Zack whipped around, anger etched on his face, "Yeah and have him rush over to see Max with her attacking him as a result? How are you going to handle a dying man and an unstable X-5 at the same time? Listen to me, just watch her for a while. If I haven't returned in three days or I haven't brought any help, go to him; only then and not before." Zack commanded her sternly, heading for the door once more.

"If she gets real bad, I'm going to Logan's immediately." Cindy stated stubbornly; no one would make her jeopardize her friend's safety, even if it was Max's brother.

"Fine, do what you want, but take care of her." He replied dismissively.

"I will." She promised as he left, shutting the door behind him. Inside her bedroom, Max groaned in her sleep. Cindy drifted over, like a floating ghost to her friend's bed, helping straighten out the tangled blankets and smooth out her friends pillow.

Her eyes rested on her friend and she settled down to watch over her. Max had already been in this phase for almost a day. If she didn't get better soon, she would tell Logan. It didn't bother her that Zack specifically told her not to. In this case, Max came first.

* * *

A man walked. He walked quickly, but without aim or purpose. He walked because he saw a road once, picked a direction and followed it. That was when the sun had risen nine times already. On this, the tenth day, he kept on walking, resting when he tired and sleeping when he dropped in exhaustion. The scenery changed over time. At first it was very dry, with little water and only sparse low vegetation. Then, there were trees scattered across the yellow grasslands. He did not like those places. They were hot in the day and cold at night. More importantly, there were no places to hide. Here, there were many trees, tall and big ones. He looked at them with appreciation; they made good hiding spots.

The sound of an automobile passing by makes him nervous. He stays away from the roads because they are dangerous to him. Hiding under the cover of the woods, he only feels partially safe. He knows that they are coming after him and that they will come by cars, helicopters, anything mechanical. He does not like cars. Cars will bring him back to the place where he woke up first and he does not want to go back there, ever. The memories of that place come to him when he sleeps sometimes, but he manages to forget them when he wakes.

It's not that bad sleeping outside under the stars, he mused. As long as there is no rain, sleeping outside could even be considered a pleasure. Except for the fact of his noisy neighbors who especially like to forage during nocturnal hours or the constant bug annoyance. Still, it is nighttime and even then the bug menace has died down too.

He spoke too soon as that familiar annoying buzz grew loud. He can't understand why this bug thinks it has a chance to bite him and draw out his blood without him noticing, even if it is at night. With his excellent night vision and quick reflexes, the bug is quickly killed. He smiles, satisfied and peers into the dark.

A sound of a passing vehicle on the distant road reminds him that he must keep moving, even if he has no idea where exactly he is heading. That can wait until morning, he decides before shifting to his side for a more comfortable sleeping position. Even if he does not need a lot of sleep, he knows he can use all the rest he can get, so he closes his eyes and tries to force himself unconscious. After a few moments it doesn't seem to work and his mind wanders instead. The smell of the mud is not exactly unpleasant, but he wishes he could sleep in one of those wooden contraptions he comes across instead of outside. The risk of being caught would be exponentially higher if he would risk one night of sleeping comfort for being caught yet again. He decides against it with regret.

Sometimes, while he sleeps, he dreams. And in those dreams, his phantoms come to haunt him like every night he spent there. There are times where the images are so blurry that they resemble more like blobs of paint flung carelessly on a canvas and other times, they are clear enough for him to make out unclear shapes. He tries to focus to see what the dreams show him; maybe then he will be able to understand the warped sounds that occasionally accompany the images. It is all in vain, like trying to see while squinting or trying to hear some important message while being half submerged. It frustrates him to no end that he cannot make sense of these images and of the sounds. They seem to be important enough that part of his mind has devoted itself to storing them and another part that keeps on replaying them in his own private theater showing. The dreams give him a sense of urgency, of something he must solve or understand in order to remember his past or perhaps he has to remember his past before he can solve the dreams. At times, he is at the point of insanity, driven half mad by the senselessness of the dreams. He wishes he could forget them completely and just continue on his odd sojourn. But, the road is lonely and the only thing he has in abundance is time. And so, he ponders on the dreams while he walks as a way to make the day go by.

There is movement in the dreams, as if he is going somewhere. And there are voices. Blurry images mixed with warped sounds, he thinks about them until they are one of the few things he can recall flawlessly from his scrambled mind. Are they images of the past or just manifestations of a troubled mind? Over time, the dreams become more like a riddle that he wants to solve, something to waste time on. The urgency is still there, but his mind is set more on getting to wherever he needs to go to. There is no clear direction or a point where he knows this is the place he has been striving for, but there is something driving him to a certain place and he knows that once he is there, he will know it. It sounds ludicrous and his mind does not fail to remind him. He will know where he needs to be when he is there? He laughs at the little debates that are waged within. It occurs to him that he can easily give up this strange sojourn and take a different path to somewhere else, but he does not want to. Call it the stubborn streak within him, which he does not even know about. With a mind that does not remember and a self-imposed journey to someplace that he cannot even fathom about, this is the best that he can do: To see the journey to the end and if by then his memory has not returned, he can always go wandering off into the great unknown. That settles the internal wars and he hopes that whatever is leading him to that place, will know it when he reaches there. If not, then this journey will be a complete waste.

He walks near the road sometimes; it gives him much-needed direction and a winding path to follow among the thick forestry. He shifts the knapsack on his shoulders. Everything he has is either on himself or in there. A thin blanket, some food he stole from the last town and a second set of clothes. The man who gave the knapsack to him, he had such warm blue eyes, he remembered him well. This man distracted the guards while stuffing the bag into his arms and telling him to run. "Jonathan", his name tag said. This Jonathan was the person who brought him food after his sessions in that hateful room. He remembered being tied to a chair there. Some days he would sit there for hours at a time, until he could not remember when he came in. Was it yesterday, this morning or many days ago? Time seemed to not matter, and it did not. What would he do with that extra time anyway? Other times he was interrogated, always by speakers he could not see. Their voices were always demanding that he tell the truth about something he could not remember.

Mostly he was strapped to some machine that would do something to his mind; they injected him with some liquid before starting. It induced pain, an electric-kind of shock coursing through his body. His whole body convulsed and strained against his bonds with the treatment. A voice told him that they were treating him for his illness and that this was the only way to drive it out. He did not believe them and so he fought. They always won. He never remembered how he got back to his room. Usually he was exhausted to the point of extreme sleep deprivation and other times, he blacked out completely. He would wake up on his cot and Jon was there with food, waiting for him. Jon would quietly tell him how long he had been asleep and when he would have another session before leaving him with the tray of food. Sometimes he would stay to talk with him, sharing bits of useless information while he hungrily crammed down the tasteless substances. To him, Jon was the kindest person. He would always remember him as his savior.

It happened one day, the same as the last and the day before that day. There was nothing different about this day, Jon woke him up, like before and told him to get ready. He thought it was for another session, but instead he noticed Jon looking about nervously, fiddling with a package in his arms. He wanted to inquire why and what the package, but kept quiet because Jon would tell him later as usual. What happened afterward would turn his schedule upside down. There was a loud klaxon, blaring painfully into his head with the same two monotonous notes. People scattered around the facility, frantic looks on their faces. They were so busy rushing to whatever claimed their attention that they did not notice him and that he was out of his cell without any attendants restraining him. He stood calmly, amongst the fray before it dawned on him: he was free.

Jon told him to run, leading him to an exit before shoving the packet into his arms. Before he had a chance to ask what was going on, Jon babbled on about something about avoiding roads and cars and that he should run as fast as he could, as far as he could. And so he did. He ran for hours without stopping, without even opening the packet in his haste to distance himself from that horrible facility. He did not look back, not even once, although he thought of Jon a lot, especially when he was tired and his hungry stomach reminded him of the timely meals he received back there. There is something different about being outside that place, something that makes him glad, even though he is unsure how. Now, in places unknown, with no memories of the past, only of a time he would rather forget, so he keeps on walking, following the path he picked those few days ago.

It is a strange existence, to wander without knowing who you are. It frightened him in the beginning, but he stopped wondering about it, assuring himself that he would fill in the blanks someday or that his mind would sudden awaken the parts that were asleep now. Jon told him about the world outside and instead of wondering who he is again, he thought of his caretaker and the stories he told him as he continued his daily trek to nowhere.

A faraway noise caught his attention. It was distinctly familiar and even pleasantly so in that respect. Normally he would have fled at the slightest sound of an automobile, but this was somehow different. He remained rooted where he stood, waiting patiently as that sound grew louder and louder. The instincts he had from the past weeks told him to run, to get as far away as he could, but he stood, transfixed in the path of the oncoming vehicle. Despite all the warnings his mind threw at him, he waited, waited to connect a picture with that familiar sound. His heart thuds loudly in his chest, as if it knows that this is the sign it has been innately waiting for.

There, at the furthest point of the road, there was something moving there and the sight of it entranced him. An automobile that was on two wheels, sleeker and faster than any car he had ever seen. On board was a person, crouched over until both person and automobile blended into one fast-moving object that was simply mesmerizing. Then there were more. Not just one or two of the same automobile, ridden by a single occupant, but many more. He started to panic, perhaps his pursers decided to track him on these more agile machines? Perhaps they long realized that he was much faster than those sluggish transports they first employed after him. These automobiles were much faster and were theoretically capable of catching up to him.

He wanted to turn about face and run, run ahead, run into the woods, anything that would distance him from those approaching things. But his feet remained rooted as if part of his brain demanded that he stay and witness these fantastical riders as they neared him.

He is torn, wanting to run, wanting to stay. He breaks out into a cold sweat as his heart thunders in his chest. Should he stay or should he flee?

The riders advanced until they were almost upon him and yet they did not seem to even take notice of him. They are almost on top of him and he has not even moved a muscle, for fear that it would start a chain reaction that would send him fleeing into the welcoming green leaves. And in an instance, they rushed past him, not even slowing down to capture him and take him back to that place. The strange familiar hum of engines roar past the lone figure in the road. He stands there stunned; the agile riders did not even seem to notice him, much less dismount, attempt to capture him and bring him back to that forsaken lab.

And there she was, an image stuck in his mind. The leader of the group had turned her head to look at him as she rode past and he caught her dark eyes, unfathomable and alluring. And it was definitely a she, he knew that for certain without knowing how he knew it. Even through her jet-black helmet, her figure and her eyes were startlingly clear in his eye's mind. The same sense of a haunting déjà vu shot through him, the same familiar feeling when he first saw those riders and their beautiful forms skimming over the forest road. It was the same feeling that his heart and his mind hungered for, the sense of something familiar, of a past he could not remember, that was sweet although fleeting. Too bad she is gone before he can connect why the image of her is so familiar.

The screeching sounds of many breaks fill the air as a single motorcycle turned around and headed toward him. It was her, the leader.

"Hey handsome," she greeted after taking off her helmet, her bike idled while she ran her hand through her short mane of red hair, making it look more like a flame of fire. It struck the man as strangely odd that he was disappointed at her appearance and that his heart had slowed down considerably.

"Hello," he replied politely. He was still on high alert, but he sensed that there was no need to fear these riders except to deal with them with caution. There was considerable silence as he regarded the rider curiously, silently gauging her and the possible danger she and the group of motorists presented.

"You needing a ride?" She asked after noticing him staring at her bike. Usually the guys would stare at her, not her bike. Perhaps this one was an automobile aficionado or something.

"Yeah, nearest town okay?" He replied smoothly, having used the same lie before.

"Sure, hop on on stranger." She gestured to the space behind her.

He hesitated briefly, "I don't suppose you'd let me drive this." The women on the other bikes laughed at his audacity.

"Sorry, maybe next time." She laughed, "I'm Katherine, Kate for short."

"Good to meet you Katherine." He settled in comfortably behind her. Kate let go of the break and the engine chugged to life as she drove on. It was a comforting sound, the hum of the many engines as they mixed together into a single song. His mind started to drift with the sound and the green trees rushing by, thoughts of town and a chance to restock his supplies filling his head.

It looked like another tough night for the waitresses at the small tavern, the Black Dragon and it was only midday. Usually the small bar was populated by its usual clients, a population that numbered up to an astounding twelve people. However, today there was an unusual crowd of rowdy bikers filling up the establishment and to make things worse, they liked to drink and make loud merriment.

Her shift had started a mere hour ago, but to her, it seemed like a lifetime and she was ready for her 15 minute break. From dawn to dusk, the call for booze did not ebb and the customers just kept coming and coming. For the bar owner (also the bartender), this was a dream come true, a little extra cash to help tide over on the days when the bar would be much emptier. For the waitresses, this was hell. Most times, the Black Dragon was a pleasant place to work. Sure the pay was miserable and there was much left to be desired of the atmosphere, but the work was decent and usually not very stressful. The usual customers were relatively respectful and the pay was always on time, even if it sometimes consisted mostly of bottles than dollar bills. That was most of the time. The other minority of space and time, the bar was a hot spot, in fact, the only hot spot in the small town. Strategically placed next to the only motel in town, the Black Dragon attracted all of the motel customers and both the owner of the Black Dragon and the motel, Paradise Inn, would make a nice bundle of cash. And for that short amount of time, work was hectic and the treatment of the hospitality workers went from tolerable to bad.

It is a dead end job and she knew it. But she needed the money and there was no where else to go, so she stayed and every other month she swore she would quit. But she never did because she needed the money. Sure she was still young and this kind of life was a sorry excuse, but the rest of the world is in terrible shape and unless she happens upon one of the very few wealthy people of the world, her existence could be even worse than it is right now. So, instead of taking a gamble and striking out into the unknown, she sticks to the safe path, one where she will live out the ends of her days in a futureless job with the same pittance of pay. Still it is better than taking that chance and ending up starving in a place where no one even knows your name, she reasons. Day in and day out, it is the same. There is no variation, except in the workload and today, she rues the fact that there is no difference; she might as well be reliving the same day.

In the midst of bussing dirty tables, she hears the distinct roar of another motorcycle gang. 'Goodness, will this day ever end?' She wonders, rolling before hefting up the heavy tray of chipped plates and empty bottles towards the kitchen. There are few items on the scanty menu that are considered edible, but it was added to help augment the small cash flow of the bar. She returns just in time to see a young god walk into the bar. There is an audible stilling of the road as the young man selects a seat and sits on it. And she is shocked at the young Adonis who has walked into this bar as if it is a common thing. She blinks and the glowing air around him disappears, the noise starts to fill up the place again, but although he looks more human now and not a true descendant of Olympus, she is still shocked.

There is more to this handsome young man than his undeniably good looks. There seems to be an air of gravity surrounding him, making him look somber and serious. 'He looks troubled,' she decides and walks over with the best smile she can muster. He looks at her with confused eyes and her heart feels for him immediately. With those innocent, sad puppy eyes of his, how could she not?

"Hi, my name's Sydney." She greets him.

There was pause in the air until he finally realized she was waiting for something. Waiting for what? Waiting for him to introduce himself. His name…What was his name…Was it unusual to not remember one's name? It never occurred to him that he did not have a name or that he could not remember it. He was "the one who escaped" or just simply "I", there was not name. Even Jon did not address him by a name, just a "Good morning" and "How are you doing?"

"My name's Jonathan, you can call me Jon." He quickly covered up his confusion with a disarming smile. The uncertainty of his eyes vanished; Sydney wondered if she had only imagined it.

"So, where you heading Jon?"

"Huh? How did you know?" He asked quickly, suspicion tainting his mind.

"Well, people don't come to Tanford for Tanford. This is more of a pit stop for motorists than an actually town." She explained. "So, where are you heading?" She asked again, this time a little less demanding since she saw how quickly he got uncomfortable even with her simple question.

"Well Cindy--"

"Sydney," she quickly corrected.

"Sorry Sydney. Actually, I'm not sure. I'm headed for the West Coast for some traveling. It feels like something is calling me there, so I just packed up one day and started on this little journey. And here I am, months later."

"Well, that certainly sound exciting. What will you be having?"

"Uh…beer?" He asks, borrowing the word from one of the more vocal customers nearby.

"Okay," she laughs softly at his inexperience with liquor and how sweet his request is. "I'll bring you some food too because you look like you need it."

"But I don't have--" he starts to protest.

Sydney smiles again, the most she has in a long time. "It's okay, I can treat a customer from time to time." He nods in appreciation and she whisks off to the kitchen, her feet and her heart feeling lighter than ever.

* * *

"Well, Helene, what have you to report?"

"The samples have all been destroyed, along with the bodies that were stored in the morgue. The tissue samples retrieved by the teams are all useless, having been killed or morphed by the intense heat."

"None of the retrieved samples contain viable data?"

"No, they have been contaminated or corroded in the chaos."

"The fire did all that?"

"The chemicals that were in the morgue and the fire that started there...they destroyed the samples."

"Do you have any good news at all?"

"I have saved a partial on our data banks. It will be years before it is even close to where it was, but it's a start. I also managed to secure a few samples while I was escaping. I'm not sure which specimen they belong to, but we might get lucky and find it belongs to her. And..."

"Yes? What else?" She demanded impatiently.

"I also received a sample from Ames White." Helene paused, unsure of how to continue, "He claims it belongs to X5-494." Her superior exhaled sharply; that news was most unexpected.

"X5-494? I was under the impression that Ames shot and killed him." Helene's superior replied slowly, the consequences of this little betrayal sinking into her mind. So, White had finally managed to bypass her in authority; that sneaky, power-grubbing scoundrel.

"So was I. Evidently it was all a ruse. He went over my head and planned this trap."

"Not to mention, he went over mine as well. I was under the impression that I controlled all matters dealing with these genetic abominations."

"He must have contacted the Conclave on his own."

"White has always been a model citizen, why would he do this now? Perhaps he is more like his father than we realized. Sandeman did whatever was required without complaint and he did them perfectly, until he defected and then disappeared for years, resurfacing as the head of that government-funded atrocity, Manitcore."

"He was my father too" Bromley whispered quietly, a trace of emotion in her usually wooden voice.

"I did not think you wanted to be associated with him or his name." Her superior added, more softly than she would usually would. Evidently, it was a sore topic for both women.

"I may be his illegitimate daughter, but he still is my father."

"My apologies. Now to the matter at hand, how shall we deal with White?" Her voice had turned hard again, back to the business of dealing with trangenics and now, White. No son of any dissenter, not even one hailed as a genius of the whole family, would ever rise over her head, not after what she did to gain that power. White had another thing coming if he thought all it took was some DNA samples and a transgenic to claim her seat of power.

* * *

A/N- There's probably a million mistakes in this, but I wanted to get this out before next week. And yes, "Tanford" is just a figment of my imagination. I don't think a place with that name even exists. And yes, he is alive! Alec is alive! I couldn't kill him off…Anyways, same request as last time, please drop a comment! 


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